When In Rome…

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amalfi coast, art, art prints, bologna, canals of venice, canvas, colorful maps, colosseum, countries, country, europe, european, florence, genoa, interior design, italia, italian, italian food, italian restaurant, italy, italy map, leaning tower of pisa, map, map of italy, maps, milan, naples, palermo, piazza del campo, pompeii, prints, rialto bridge, rome, santa maria del fiore, sharon cummings, st. mark's square, travel, turin, vacation, venice, verona, wall art, wall decor, wall maps

Do as the Romans do.  I always thought that meant something scintillating, but all it really means is: It is polite, and possibly also advantageous, to abide by the customs of a society when one is a visitor.  Oh well.

Today’s map study is the beautiful country of Italy!  When I think of this place, my first thoughts are always about food.  Italian plays a part in my heritage so I can tell you that there is nothing like a homemade pasta sauce with fresh herbs and spices.  There is an art to perfect marinara. It cooks slowly all day long.  The smells that fill the house are insanely taunting.  Turns out that I have Celiac disease and all of that pasta I grew up with was tormenting my insides.  5 years ago I switched to Gluten Free fare and get to still enjoy those delicious tastes!

Some fun facts about Italy:

*  Italy is approximately 116,400 square miles (including Sicily and Sardinia), which is slightly larger than Arizona.

*  Italy is one of the most crowded nations in Europe.^a Its population is estimated to reach 58,126,212 by July 2009. The population of United States is estimated to reach 307,212,123 by that same date.

*  Italy is said to have more masterpieces per square mile than any other country in the world.

*  In 2007, a dog named Rocco discovered a truffle in Tuscany that weighed 3.3 pounds. It sold at auction for $333,000 (USD), a world record for a truffle.

*  When McDonald’s opened in 1986 in Rome, food purists outside the restaurant gave away free spaghetti to remind people of their culinary heritage.

*  Parmesan cheese originated in the area around Parma, Italy. Italians also created many other cheeses, including gorgonzola, mozzarella, provolone, and ricotta. No one knows when the pizza was invented, but the people of Naples made it popular.

*Vatican City is the only nation in the world that can lock its own gates at night. It has its own phone company, radio, T.V. stations, money, and stamps. It even has its own army, the historic Swiss Guard.

*Over 50 million tourists a year visit Italy. Tourism is vital to Italy’s economy and provides nearly 63% of Italy’s national income.

British Invasion!

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art, art prints, artwork, Britain, british, British flag, buy, canvas, colorful maps, country, England, english, europe, european, Flag, flags, for sale, great, great britain, kingdom, map, map of england, maps, online, paintings, prints, sharon cummings, symbol, united, united kingdom, united kingdom map, wall art, wall decor, wall hangings

I am continuing to work on my map series and England is my next offering. Why not the United Kingdom?  The United Kingdom is not a country.  It is actually 4 countries grouped together (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland).  Seems Scotland is working towards independence so who knows what that map will look like in the near future.  So I just chose England as a stand alone.  It’s a beautiful shape for an artist to work with and I am pleased with the finished image.

Some fun facts about England:

1. Big Ben does not refer to the clock, but actually the bell.
2. London has been called Londonium, Ludenwic, and Ludenburg in the past.
3. French was the official language for about 300 years
4. The shortest war against England was with Zanzibar in 1896. Zanzibar surrendered after 38 minutes.
5. There is nowhere in Britain that is more than 74.5 miles from the sea.
6. The first telephone directory published in England contained 25 names.
7. While the Great Fire of London was largely destructive, the casualty rate was just 8.
8. The first hot chocolate store opened in London.
9. There are over 300 languages spoken in England.
10. The English drink more tea than anyone else in the world.

Oh and how about a flag?  England has a fine flag with a red cross over a white background.  I have not done an image for that yet.  But I do love the United Kingdom’s flag for it’s bright contrasting colors and interesting design.  It’s so distinctive and eye catching. Another artist’s dream. 🙂

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Going Places?

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abstract art, abstract maps, art, blue, blue art, colorful maps, colorful wall art, interior design, map, map wall art, maps, maps as art, Massachusetts, Massachusetts map, Michigan, Michigan State Map, new york, new york map, new york state map, red, red art, snowbirds, state maps, State of Massachusetts, state of Michigan, states, travel, United States, wall art, wall decor

I am one of those people who gets focused on one thing and I cannot let go.  “A dog with a bone” as one of my friends likes to say. Even though I am preoccupied with Society 6 at the moment, my work is still going places. Namely to Michigan, New York and Massachusetts. 🙂  I have been to two of these states so far and plan to pick up New York on my way to Canada soon.

Where are YOU going?

More maps are on their way including some fun country pieces.  I love creating these as they combine my love of color and my attraction to interesting shapes. 🙂

Stay tuned for the next adventure!