Constance Baltuck

I just got back from my first trip to Italy, where my sister and I spent a week exploring tiny villages, Etruscan tombs, and the mountainous terrain of Umbria. Picturesque doesn't begin to describe the incredible beauty of the landscape or the acute awareness of history that was everywhere around us.

Forget shampoo and hand lotion; my quart-size Ziploc bag was filled to absolute maximum capacity with tubes of paint; the important thing in my carry-on, outbound, is my painting supplies. On the way back, however, it's the little paintings that, I hope, have captured the sweet essence of our experience in a foreign land.

Paintings from Italy and my other travels will be included in a show of 24 small paintings at Skeins, on the second floor of the Senate Building at 175 Franklin Street. Starting Friday, December 7th, from 4:30 to 8:00, the show will continue daily through the weekend.

To preview the show, just click on "December Gallery Walk" on the screen to your left.

Ciao!