Two TreesThis photo was captured on the grounds of Monte Olivetto di Maggiore. The light in the woods created texture, detail, and drama as it moved from surface to surface; slipping from highlight to deep shadow, in a concurrent gesture of revealing and hiding. Two Trees Birch PanoramaThis photo is a segment from a larger panorama image that I captured near San Gimignano. The sun was breaking through a grove of birch trees to my left and it fell over rolling hills to the right. Birch Panorama Tree BarkThis close-up of tree bark was a handheld image shot in the same wooded area as the Two Trees photo at Monte Olivetto di Maggiore. Tree Bark Assumption of the VirginEntitled The Assumption of the Virgin, this altarpiece from the Cathedral in Montepulciano was painted by Sienese master Taddeo di Bartolo from 1398 to 1401. It was named for a popular Sienese festival, which originated when the Hospital, glutted with requests from plague victims, purchased what was supposed to be a piece of the virgin's girdle which she let fall as she ascended into heaven (as reflected in the painter's elaborate handling of the virgin's skirt). Assumption of the Virgin |