Yes Monday!


Summer is ...
where girls go barefoot and their hearts are just as free as their toes!

A new portrait i did for a beautiful woman called Anna. Let's get into this tiny yellow car with her and take a ride along the Italian Riviera. We'll have espresso and biscotti in this tiny caf'e on the market place. Shop for some fruits and a new bikini in shady arcades, head over to the beach and walk along the shores, barefoot, before going for a swim in turquoise waters ... are you with me still?

Thanks for all  the wonderful comments i got on the Italian Riviera post last week, for all the new friends that showed up - i so enjoyed meeting you! Cheers to a FUNtastic week my lovelies - will come visit you soon! 

Holiday at the Italian Riviera








Italy is maybe my favorite country in Europe and i always look forward to having the first "Espresso" after crossing the border. I just love the musical language, the great treasures of  renaissance art and architecture, the simple but elegant cuisine, the fashion and the lively temperament of the people.
It's hard to say, what region of IItaly is most beautiful, because they all are. My brother and family are living in Rome, which i simply adore. But on our last visit, we went to Chiusanico in the provence of Imperia in Liguria, the northernmost part of the mediterranean, and fell in love with it too.

Olives and  Lemons fresh from the tree,  curved streets that climb up the hillside while offering magnificent views on the blue mediterranean, ancient medieval towns and castles to discover, lively beach villages with cafés and palm trees along the Promenade - the Italian Riviera and the Landscape called Liguria is what i now often dream of when i think about a perfect holiday. 

Wandering through the shady streets of Torria almost felt like time-travelling, and even though the town was so neat and romantic in every corner, it wasn't at all crowded. We caught glimpses of a mourning family, sitting in a little chapel,  saw a river running through it's stone carved bed right through the town, looked at roses climbing up the soft pink and yellow walls. ate wonderful pizza right out of the wood oven on the market place and bought beautifully wrapped sweets in a tiny store.

One day, we drove along the hills where the air was cool and misty and  the trees were covered in ivy. We saw a flock of goats climbing effortlessly up a very steep rock, visited a sanctuary to mother Mary tucked away in the woods, and took pictures of the "Castel vecchio" - the old castle, that proudly resides over this area.

Almost every afternoon, we spent in a little beach town called Varigotti, where a grand aunt of mine used to live after marrying the italian ambassador. Varigotti has the nicest little beach with only a few people and a great many pretty stones in all sizes and colors and it feels wonderful to walk barefoot along the shore .Hubby and i  love to lay on the beach for a few hours, soaking up the sun, listening to the waves - it's what never fails to recharge my batteries very quickly.

As for having a tiny mimi break in your day, make an espresso where ever you are and close your eyes ... can you hear the ocean? See more pictures of this trip here

This post is part of  Anitas Link Party. Go to her blog here and see many more posts about wonderful destinations in Europe.

Photos: Martine Voigt-Schmid













Summer Blooms






A recent painting with ornamental Hydrangeas floating on on a cool, turquoise and white background. 
Hope you enjoy the best of July and have a fantastic week ahead. Beauty, colors, heavenly scents and fine textures - nature is just too precious to not be enjoyed. And with all the madness that happens in the world around now, it's important to choose: peace, abundance, beauty and joy! 

Allora, let's go!


Of all the things you wear, your expression is the most important. 
Janet Lane 

This is a new illustration i did for my dear friend Anne-Claire. She's a fabulous Lady who has lived through some hard times lately. Now, after a bad depression, she's getting into full swing again and i just saw her riding this vanilla scooter, wearing a pink dress and a fancy, handmade bag. This is a Look from Kate Spade - and it fits her so well,. She's  a talented needleworker and knits and crochets the sweetest things, But she also is a great writer and just started her very own blog to tell her story. If you'd like to laugh and cry at the same time, have a look at it here.

Have a sweet weekend my dear ones - can't wait to have a good blog-hop and come visit you all!


Giambattista Valli Haute Couture




"It's always a love story,"
Giambattista Valli

Inspired by my painter friend Barbara von Enger, who is currently in Paris, i had a look at some of the fashion shows from the  2014 autumn couture collections. I love to look at Haute Couture, because here, we see the designers phantasie at play, without the restructions of normal daily life. These robes are just made to inspire, to charm and dazzle. They are made to stand out and create a fairy tale come true for the women who wear them.

To me, the most inspiring collection was the one by Giambatista Valli (see all the pix here), who artfully combined ombre ballgown skirts with blouses, that resembled crisp mens shirts or Pyjama tops, and who put graphic black & white stripes next to flowers and colorful fluff. What i also like here, is the combination of black shades and twisted scarfs around the heads of the models - they appear like dancers in a modern ballet - and they make me want to paint them!

So, watch out for new fashion sketches here soon - and have a great midweek!

Pictures via VOGUE



Pastel Pug


Percy ist neu in meiner kleinen Hunde-Gallerie hier - 
und wünscht Euch einen guten Start in die Woche!

Percy is new in my little dog gallery here - 
and wishes you a lovely start to your week!