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My  2nd   taste of Italy  (see “My First Taste of Italy here) wasn’t until a long 19 years later. I would have returned much sooner, but we were blessed with a sweet baby girl in 1999, and as you may know, life gets busy with a baby! When she turned 3, I made a huge career change and went from a reliable income with insurance benefits, to starting a new business from scratch creating specialty designer finishes and murals in homes and businesses across Texas. Long story short, this evolved into a full-time painting career, which eventually led to teaching workshops in the United States and Europe. I’m jumping ahead, though…let’s back up.

In July of 2016, my brother was planning a trip to Italy, and he asked me to go with him. It took me an entire few seconds to say yes! I had been dreaming of teaching an artist workshop in Europe, but I think fear was holding me back. I decided I would take this opportunity to do a little research while I was over there to come up with a plan. 

My brother handed me the reins and let me plan the entire trip. (This might not be fun for some people, but I was in “research and planning” Heaven!)

We landed in Milan 3 months later, and headed straight to one of the most beautiful places I’d ever seen, Lake Como! Being in the foothills of the Alps, it felt like a cross between Switzerland and Italy. The air was crisp and smelled like a combination of pine and bonfire. The parks along the lake were peaceful, pristine and perfect in every way. 

Other stops on our list included Verona, Venice, Cinque Terre, and Orvieto. What struck me the most was that because Italy is so old, there are centuries of architectural styles that changed over the years, with every era as beautiful as the rest in its own right. I felt as if I were in so many of the paintings I had studied in Art History. 

Being in Italy again seemed to simplify things for me…and teaching there didn’t seem as far-fetched or daunting as it did before. This sealed the deal, and as soon as I returned to Texas, I began making plans for my 1^st artist retreat, which took place in southern France in 2018.