How many blogs begin with this title I wonder?  I don’t care, because it took my coming half-way around the world for this blog to come into existence in Budapest.  I hope there aren’t problems in customs when I come back to the U.S…  So I think the impetus for this infant blog is this trip to Europe and artist residency.  The banner image is part of a photograph I took in Rome.  Here is the entire image:

The title “Gulping Beauty” is a little bit ugly (gulping sounds so guttural) but pretty much sums up what the blog is about.  It seems like the kind of comment that pops out when one is actually overcome by beauty or the sublime and has forgotten the self.  These words were used by Amelia Earhart to describe the view during her first flight over the Atlantic.  I have been giving a lot of thought to the importance of beauty in my life and artwork, so I thought these words an apt title for this blog.

The trip has been amazing so far: Rome, Florence, Venice (for the biennale and the opening of the Pinault collection), Vienna and finally Budapest where the residency is located.  I will do my best to post about the trip, art we’ve seen, and events here over the next couple of weeks.  Budapest is amazing.  Here are a couple of images from my and Mark’s amazing day of glorious adventures last Sunday:

that’s just a taste…

I’ll post more about our time here soon. I hope this blog becomes an ongoing way to share my artwork and experiences even after my return to “normal” life–whatever that is.   Thanks for looking!