small, roughly 5x7 inches.

The artist reception is during September Gallery Stroll---Friday, September 16 from 6 till 9pm. When you visit the Calligraffiti show you will see the collection of little SKETCHPADS along with the regular size paintings (a couple of which have been featured here andhere).

Thursday, August 4, 2011

I spent Fall Quarter of grad school in Rome as a participant in the Architecture in Rome program through the University of Washington. (Twenty years prior, one of the first two participants in this program was now internationally known architect Stephen Holl.) Our program included field trips to other areas of Italy. The hilltown of Todi was one such destination.

Photo: Stefan Pasquini

Todi is located in the Umbrian region of Italy and founded in the 8th-7th century BC. Its double lineof protective city walls is reputed to have stopped Hannibal himself after his victory at the Trasimeno.

Photo: Marta Piccotini

Todi is perched on a tall two-crested hill overlooking the east bank of the Tiber River, commanding distant views in every direction. (Wiki)

Photo: via gogobot

Todi is known for its street steps which are built in the center of the street to make ascending and descending the steep incline of the cobblestone thoroughfares more pedestrian friendly.

Above: One of my student sketches of the street steps during our field trip to Todi.

Above: Double click on this image. You've got to see this rendering of the wonderful interlocking piazzas, a delight to experience on foot.

In the 1990s, Richard S. Levine, a professor of architecture at the University of Kentucky,chose Todi as the model