Dana M Johnson – Paintings, Illustrations, VideoThe Blog of Dana M. Johnson

I painted this in November sitting in the piazza by Porta Ticinese Medievale in Milan.  Even through December there have been sunny days warm enough to comfortably sit in the parks or piazzas.  The visit Milano website writes that this arch was part of the city walls and originally built in 1171.  Then destroyed and later restored in the 19th Century with the arches being opened again in 1861.  It is amazing, the history that lies within a “modern city” such as Milan.

My studio area is small but has nice windows and light, on the table you can see an almost finished watercolor, ink and watercrayon painting of Milan.  It is the view from walking towards the city center on Via Torino, looking towards Café Saint George and the church towers behind.  The city was very lively around the shopping areas before the holiday.  Now the streets are bit more relaxed with everyone moving a little slower to admire the storefront windows and latest styles.

Watercolor and water crayon on paper, 12×18″, 140lb Fabrino paper

I love the colors that appear on a rainy day, yesterday was a beautiful rainy day in Milan. With colorful trams rushing by, holiday shoppers running over wet cobblestones and decorative star lights swinging above the streets.

Watercolor,ink,water crayons on watercolor paper

Thank you to everyone who purchased the book! For anyone interested in ordering one for a holiday gift, you have a couple days to place orders and have it ship in time,

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Happy holidays! Thank you for reading, Dana