Monet's Waterlily Pond, Giverny, France, Painterly

Claude Monet's garden and home in Giverny, France is about an hour west of Paris in the countryside near Normandy. In the late 1800's Monet discovered Giverny while riding by on a train. He fell in love with this quaint town and soon rented a home near the river. Later he purchased the home and spent over a decade designing and planting his famous garden. He diverted the nearby river to fill an area in the back for his waterlily pond and green Japanese bridge. Officials originally opposed his plans, but after finding out it was the famous artist they approved. Monet's garden is around 2 acres in size and the lush cottage garden near the pink and green home is filled with all kinds of paths, trellises, and flowers, smelling heavenly. The center of the garden is focused on a wide path lined with rows of rose-covered arbors. Monet spent much time outdoors painting in his impressionist style, especially scenes of his garden. Monet lived around 40 years in his home. This image is also available in black and white. To read about our adventure in Europe, please see my husband's book, "Vagabonds in France" by Michael A.Barry on Amazon. This photo has an oil paint effect on it to create a look similar to Monet's paintings.

Lush Garden at Claude Monet's Home in Giverny, France, Painterly

This is a watercolor version of the original image. Claude Monet's garden and home in Giverny, France is about an hour west of Paris in the countryside near Normandy. In the late 1800's Monet discovered Giverny while riding by on a train. He fell in love with this quaint town and soon rented a home near the river. Later he purchased the home and spent over a decade designing and planting his famous garden. He diverted the nearby river to fill an area in the back for his waterlily pond and green Japanese bridge. Officials originally opposed his plans, but after finding out it was the famous artist they approved. Monet's garden is around 2 acres in size and the lush cottage garden near the pink and green home is filled with all kinds of paths, trellises, and flowers, smelling heavenly. The center of the garden is focused on a wide path lined with rows of rose-covered arbors. Monet spent much time outdoors painting in his impressionist style, especially scenes of his garden. Monet lived around 40 years in his home. This photo is edited with an oil paint style.

Arbor Walkway To Monet's Home, Giverny, Painterly

I took this photo in 2016 and edited it in an impressionist painterly style. If you zoom in you can see the brush strokes. I also have another version of this photo that is not painterly. Claude Monet's garden and home in Giverny, France is about an hour west of Paris in the countryside near Normandy. In the late 1800's Monet discovered Giverny while riding by on a train. He fell in love with this quaint town and soon rented a home near the river. Later he purchased the home and spent over a decade designing and planting his famous garden. He diverted the nearby river to fill an area in the back for his waterlily pond and green Japanese bridge. Officials originally opposed his plans, but after finding out it was the famous artist they approved. Monet's garden is around 2 acres in size and the lush cottage garden near the pink and green home is filled with all kinds of paths, trellises, and flowers, smelling heavenly. The center of the garden is focused on a wide path lined with rows of rose-covered arbors. Monet spent much time outdoors painting in his impressionist style, especially scenes of his garden. Monet lived around 40 years in his home.

613 W Venice Ave, Venice, Florida, Painterly 2

613 West Venice Avenue is a historic home built in 1926. It's just down the road from Venice Beach in the historic area of downtown Venice, Florida. It's a charming area with a canopy of live oak trees and a park. This is one of the three major homes built in Venice in 1926 for the executives of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. This home was supposed to be for the Union Vice President, but the stock market crash happened and this home sat empty for 3 years. The first owners were Fitzhugh William and Florence Haensel who bought it in 1930. They were from New York and wintered here in Venice. Mr. Haensel was a renowned soprano and sang overseas in Italy. Later in his 40's he and his partners founded Columbia Concerts Corporation to use for Broadway Productions. They got into radio and it turned into Columbia Broadcasting System, CBS. After the Haensels died they left the home to Florence's nephew who sold it to Dr. Sorenson. Then Rich and Jennifer Lorick bought the house and restored it. Currently the home is owned by Curt and Tommye Whittaker who are preserving the home. It is listed on the Registry of Historic Places. This Northern Italian Renaissance style home has 5365 square feet and 16 doors on the home to create cross ventilation for the hot weather. Its large size and hallways make it perfect for entertaining. It has a lovely courtyard filled with flowers and a fountain. When the home was built an elevator was installed and it still works today. The BLE (Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers) played a large role in the early development of the city of Venice. Venice is a pre-planned community designed by John Nolen with parks throughout the city and Northern Italian Renaissance style homes. These homes built in the 1920's add a wonderful charm to the city. Over time some of them have been torn down for newer homes, so preserving these remaining historic gems is important for the city. Venice is an amazing city in Florida. It sits on the Gulf of Mexico on the west coast and has a beautiful beach, jetty, and pier. You have a couple places at the coast to watch beautiful sunsets each night. I love the architecture here, especially the buildings from the 1920's. Venice is known for its wonderful main street area and love of the arts. Venice is just south of Sarasota and is near Englewood, Nokomis, and North Port. I edited this photo in a painterly style. If you zoom into the image you can see brush strokes and canvas texture. I have another version of this photo that is not painterly.

Centennial Park Gazebo, Venice, Florida, Painterly

It's golden hour in Venice, Florida, and downtown is breathtaking in the warm light. This is the gazebo in Centennial Park. In the background stands the KMI Building on Tampa Avenue (formerly the campus of the Kentucky Military Institute which wintered here earlier in the 1900's). Now it is apartments and shops. The military students used to practice marching here in the park. This gazebo is a popular place for locals to gather for music and entertainment. This photo was taken after the gazebo was renovated. Venice is in Sarasota county on the west coast of Florida, and is known for its love of the arts and wonderful beaches. Many of the buildings were built in the 1920's which give the town its charm. I created this photo as an HDR by merging three photos together that were different exposures. Then I turned it into an impressionist painterly style using brush strokes and canvas texture. I also have another version of this image that is not painterly.

The Majestic Tiber, Rome, Italy, Painterly

It was my first night near the Tiber River in Rome, and I couldn't wait to explore the area. We discovered this bridge at the Castel Sant' Angelo. It has an incredible view of the city and the Vatican. We were here at night when the city lights were on and the city just glowed, it was beautiful! This view of Rome from the Tiber River was so majestic and impressive. I flew from far away to get this photo and waited for the right moment to capture it with beautiful lighting and mood. I am so happy I captured it! The Ponte Sant' Angelo is a bridge built in 134 AD by the Roman Emperor Hadrian. It has elegant sculptures of the apostles and 10 angels hodling different objects of the passion. In 1669 Pope Clement IX commissioned Bernini to make these sculptures. Pilgrims used this bridge to reach St. Peters Basilica. So the bridge was known as the bridge of St. Peter. In the sixth century there was a legend of an angel that appeared at the roof of the castle to announce the end of the plague, so the name of this bridge and the castle were changed to Sant' Angelo. This image is available in both color and black and white in a non painterly stlye. This one was edited in a painterly stlye with brush strokes and canvas texture.

Downtown Venice Florida at Golden Hour, Painterly

Venice is an amazing city in Florida. It sits on the Gulf of Mexico on the west coast and has a beautiful beach, jetty, and pier. You have a couple places at the coast to watch beautiful sunsets each night. Venice is just south of Sarasota and is near Englewood, Nokomis, and North Port. This is a view of businesses on Venice Avenue in downtown historic Venice: Venice Wine and Coffee Company, and Kilwin's. There is a lot of charm here in downtown. This photo was taken in the morning. I edited this photo in a painterly style with brush strokes, and another non-painterly version is available. Both are available in black and white.

The Stadium Gallery at St. Armand's Circle, Sarasota, FL, Painterly

I edited this photo with an impressionist oil painting effect. If you zoom in you can see brush strokes. I have some other versions of this image that are like a drawing, watercolor painting, black and white, and non painterly. This is a view of St. Armand's Circle near Sarasota, Florida just after sunrise. It is Christmas morning so the city is very quiet. The city lights are on casting a warm glow onto the street. It is the corner of Filmore and St. Armand's Cirlce where there are historic quaint shops. On the corner is The Stadium Gallery, and the Tobacco Shop, and Salty Kisses Soap Company. Elegant palm trees lit up with Christmas lights line the street. Sarasota sits on Sarasota Bay on the Gulf Coast of Florida, just south of Bradenton and Tampa Bay. Beautiful white sand Siesta Key beach is nearby. Sarasota is a very beautiful city with an elegant downtown. St. Armand's Circle is on an island across the Ringling Bridge from Sarasota and connects to Bird Key and Lido Beach.

Downtown Venice, Florida at Sunrise 3, Painterly

Venice is an amazing city in Florida. It sits on the Gulf of Mexico on the west coast and has a beautiful beach, jetty, and pier. You have a couple places at the coast to watch beautiful sunsets each night. This is a view of downtown Venice on Venice Avenue. It's the historic main street of downtown, full of charm. I love the architecture here, especially the buildings from the 1920's. Venice is known for its wonderful main street area and love of the arts. Venice is just south of Sarasota and is near Englewood, Nokomis, and North Port. I have both color, black and white, and painterly versions of this photo.

Venice Fishing Pier Sunset, Florida, Painterly

I took this photo of the Venice Fishing Pier at sunset and edited it in an oil painting style similar to Cezanne to make it more abstract. I also have another version of this photo that is not painterly and has more details in it. The fishing pier in Venice, Florida is a great place to watch the sunset at the end of the day. The pier extends 700 feet out into the blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico, and is very tall. It is located in Brohard Park at the southern end of the island of Venice. There is a restaurant called Sharky's on the end of the pier. Caspersen Beach is just down the road where fossilized sharks teeth can be found. This is one of the most popular landmarks in Venice. On this night the clouds hung low enough to the horizon that when the sun came down below them the color burst into very bright colors.

Sunset at the Train Depot in Venice, Florida, Painterly

I edited this photo with a painterly style. If you zoom in you can see the brush strokes and canvas texture. I also have another version of this photo that is not painterly. The train depot in Venice, Florida opened in 1927 and sits at the southern end of the Legacy Trail. It is also known as the Venice Seaboard Air Line Depot. It was built in a Mediterranean Revival style with simple arches, yellow stucco surfaces and red tile roofs, which was very popular in Florida because of the warm climate and Spanish heritage. A 400 foot long platform was built quite large for the small new town of Venice hoping the town would grow. In the 1960's the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus used it for shipping their equipment around the United States after moving to Venice. When Amtrak formed passenger service to the Venice station stopped. In 1998 Sarasota County purchased the depot and restoration was done. Now the structure houses the Venice Area Historical Society Musuem, and the arcaded waiting area is used for bus service. In 1989 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Kilwin's Ice Cream in Venice, Florida, Painterly

This photo is a 15 shot panorama I took at sunrise in downtown Venice, Florida. I did 5 vertical HDR shots (3 exposures each photo) and merged the 15 photos to create this image. Then I edited it in a painterly style. I also have another version of this photo that is not painterly. Venice is an amazing city in Florida. It sits on the Gulf of Mexico on the west coast and has a beautiful beach, jetty, and pier. You have a couple places at the coast to watch beautiful sunsets each night. This is a view of Venice Avenue. It's the historic main street of downtown, full of charm. I love the architecture here, especially the buildings from the 1920's. On the right is Kilwin's Ice Cream store. Venice is known for its love of the arts. A lot of architecture design here is influenced by Venice, Italy. Venice, Florida is known for its wonderful main street area and is just south of Sarasota near Englewood, Nokomis, and North Port.