There have been numerous books extolling the sublime beauty of the Tuscan landscape, but none of them can prepare you for the actual reality. In 1998 my wife and I were invited to spend a couple of weeks with Melissa’s sister who had rented a villa just outside of Siena. After a grueling flight from Los Angeles, we arrived in Florence around 10:00 P.M., not sleeping for almost 24 hours. Though both of us were exhausted, we couldn’t resist a stroll through the old part of town, seeing the Duomo for the first time. How can one ever describe the taste of a real Italian gelato, eaten on the Ponte Vecchio, overlooking the river Arno, on a warm summer night. The next day off we went to catch up with the family in Siena. Much has been written about the leisurely pace of Italian life, except when they get behind a wheel. It is most disconcerting to have little grey haired grandmothers almost drive you off the road because you are driving too slow. After some false starts and misdirections, we finally arrived at our destination, a converted and expanded farmhouse nestled amongst gently rolling hills with vineyards and a massive swimming pool.

As is the case in all of my travels, I never go anywhere without my 8 X 10 camera. The problems of airline travel have been solved by my hand carrying my wooden camera and lenses, Melissa the film and holders, and all else going into the suitcase. And so it was over the course of our stay that we became acquainted with Tuscany. We fell in love with the country and it’s people and half seriously talked about selling everything and moving there, a feeling that still persists to this day. I began photographing voraciously, as is my habit, responding to this new set of photographic possibilities. I shot 90 new images while there, only scratching the surface of pictorial possibilities. It was then we started planning a second trip, to continue this new project and possibly making this work into a book. In September the following year, we touched down in Milan and headed for our next brief residency, another converted farm house 20 miles north of Florence called Il Corniolo. The focus this time was to explore the Mugello, the mountainous area in northern Tuscany. This trip was a working vacation, the photography being the prime reason for being here. The only difference this time, in order to prevent X-ray machine disasters at the airport, I brought all of my chemicals with me and developed my film on the table in a blacked out kitchen. There was some concern about carrying bags of white powder onto the airplane. An interesting experience. This work is from these two trips.

All works are 8 X 10 platinum prints hand coated by the artist on Cranes Platinotype. Prints are editioned in 25 and prices rise as editions sell out. All work comes matted in 4 ply rag board front and back and is signed, titled, and editioned on the front of the print. The matt is signed as well.