Years ago, only privileged people could travel to distant lands, where they would see famous buildings, marble sculptures and scenes of provocative beauty. Unable to adequately describe them in words, these travelers were known to make little paintings of them, and send them back home, to share the experience with others.

Today, of course, we send postcards of places that have become, well, commonplace, simply because they have been printed in so many books, cards and travel magazines.

It occurred to me that you might enjoy seeing something of Italy through Mark’s eyes as he saw it recently on our trip there:







This trip was of greater significance than merely travel. Mark and I spent a week in Sienna at a sort of “creative think tank” with our long-time friends in the prestigious Camera craftsmen, a group of just 40 members worldwide. Mark will have more to tell you about the creative outcome of our time there.

We also had the opportunity to visit some friends in Florence where Mark exhibited some of the images he created for the now almost-famous website http://www.sacredink.net. This site was the brainchild of our friend Chuckk Gerwig. Everyone featured on the site has a rather profound story behind the images they’ve created. The site is about these people and their stories of how God went to such great length to show how much He loves his kids.

I hope you enjoy both the pictures of Italy and the website.

April Brandes