Switzerland Sketchbook

The lost chapel at Del This Isolated tiny chapel is set apart from the tiny village of Del by the gap of an empty field. In late winter not even the slightest path joins the chapel and the town. The chapel lacks a grave yard, or the graves have long since disappeared, no one caring to keep them marked. I wanted to render the chapel capturing the feeling of isolation it gave me, so I painted it very white and everything around dark and rather brown closing in the depth. My kids give the only real color strutting to the chapel in their red winter suits. We had a snack on the bench in front of the white washed walls, and none of us felt very at ease. I am curious to know what the history of this town and small chapel is. For now I will settle for this very successful rendition of the lost chapel. Medium: Digital hand painting  emulating tempera paint. Click image for detail

Savognin Cathedral Summer View From our place on the north side of the valley we look out and across the town. It falls below us and then climbs the hill on the other side of the river. perched at about the same elevation from our viewpoint is the Baroque Savognin Cathedral. It is a huge building that by day and night is spectacular in all the changing light of day and seasons. This image was painted from a mid summer photo, it shows the cathedral and town in late afternoon light. A light haze from the warm day adds depth and coolness to the shadows. Medium: Digital paint emulating oil. Click image for detail view

Waiting for Snow This view of Savognin is painted from the river looking upwards towards the northern part of town. From this vantage the old city tower and the upper church can be seen. The mountains to the North we covered in cloud lending a gray veil streaked by trails of snow falling high up.  Painted just after Christmas with the locals hoping for a better snow base to attract the ski tourists. This winter they got much more then they could have imagined. Water color on paper with pen accents

The Giovanni Segantini house, Savognin The world famous romantic painter lived in this house from 1886 through 1894. It's interesting not in that it's the only yellow house in town, but that it's not a farm house or associated with a barn, and that it has ornate decorations on it's exterior. For me I was intrigued that it always has birds on the roof, perhaps it is because of it's bright color that they flock to it. I like to think it's the ghost of Segantini that calls the black birds down from the mountains paying silent homage to a landscape that he and I find haunting in it's beauty. Medium:  Stiff pen with watercolor wash

Graubünden, Castle View This is the emblem for the Canton Graubünden. The most Eastern Canton of Switzerland, it is also the most mysterious. With a long valley, the Rheintal, running north to south to three ancient passes it has one of the highest concentration of castles in all Europe. This view is from Savognin towards the north with a castle keep in the small village of Riom. This side valley off the Rheintal serves two ancient passes the Septimer and the Julier. Both dating back to the Roman age and beyond. Often I use Photoshop to add an additional element to a image, in this case I wanted to give this image the feel of an old wood block Medium: Watercolor, pen, colored pencil, Photoshop filter.

Savognin, Graubünden Piz Arlos Rising Gently to the south of Savognin is the sloping peak of Piz Arlos, this symmetrical peak gives the viewer a sense of peace and grace. The thick forest climbing it's slopes additionally calms the eye with hues of dark pine green. In Spring the forest comes alive with great columns of yellow pollen rising on thermals high into the air, followed later in the day, by the falling pollen that covers everything in the valley, quite a spectacle to behold. Medium: Watercolor with body color

Savognin, Graubünden Piz Mitgel  The monolithic mountain that rises behind the old farm town of Savognin is one of the first Dolomite peaks of the Eastern Alps. The peak rises dramatically to the Northeast of town in wall of solid rock. In the evening sun the mountain is cast in shades of yellow and pink, so bright on long summer days that the warm glow illuminates the town with golden hues. This Sketch was started on site in late Fall as the first snow was beginning to collect near the top of the peak. Medium: Stiff pen sketch