Previous: Khor Virap, Noravank & Goris Road Trip Southern Armenia Road Trip from Goris Southern Armenia contains some of the most unusual places I visited in the country. Starting from Goris, I crossed the suspension bridge into the abandoned cave village of Khndzoresk, rode the Wings of Tatev aerial tramway to the 9th-century Tatev Monastery,…
Previous: Garni Roman ruins and Geghard Monastery travel blog Armenia The drive from Yerevan through Khor Virap and Noravank to Goris was one of my favorite days in Armenia—Mount Ararat rising behind an ancient monastery, the red-rock canyon surrounding Noravank, an October snowstorm, and spectacular mountain scenery almost the entire way south. Yerevan → Khor…
Previous: Day One in Yerevan Travel If you only have time for one day trip from Yerevan, Garni Temple and Geghard Monastery should be near the top of your list. Both are less than an hour from Armenia’s capital and can easily be combined with Symphony of Stones and Charents Arch in a half-day or…
Armenia Quick Travel Guide Capital: Yerevan Best Time to Visit: May–June & September–October Recommended Trip Length: 7–10 days Why travel to Armenia? Straddling the divide between Asia and Europe, Armenia (the world’s first Christian Nation) boasts a diversity of terrain, ruined monasteries, a city older than Rome, Roman temples, and more. Armenia is a country…
(Poured watercolor of Buddhist monk in Phnom Penh, Cambodia) A lot of people (usually my father) ask me why I love to travel overseas. Why don’t I just take a cheaper (and much shorter flight) to Florida instead to take pictures? The answer is simple- I enjoy immersing myself in foreign cultures. It’s actually fun…
I will be teaching a lot of batik classes this year. Yeah, another chance to blow fuses where I teach (I have learned a lot about electricity though, and rarely trip fuses anymore) :). This technique uses wax, irons, hair dryers, extremely delicate Japanese rice paper (several types), and the audacity to crumble the entire…
Machu Picchu remains one of the most extraordinary places I have photographed—and painted. I visited the famous Inca ruins in Peru on two separate photography trips, spending five days exploring Machu Picchu during my first visit and another three days there on my second. Those trips provided hundreds of reference photographs that eventually became a…
I’m honored to have won Second Place in this year’s Watermedia Competition. Chosen from 1000s of entries, my watercolor batik on Japanese rice paper of Amsterdam is currently featured in a 5 page article of Watercolor Artist Magazine. In the article I talk about how watercolor has a mind of it’s own (it does). I…
New watercolor classes! I have only offered these once in the Raleigh area since COVID. Join me to learn two exciting watercolor techniques- pouring watercolor and watercolor batik. 2 day art technique workshops at Anchorlight Studios near downtown Raleigh, NC. Watercolor Pouring With an emphasis on design and planning, you will learn the technique of…
Landed in Raleigh after returning from a wonderful week with the Watercolor Art Society of Houston (WASH) and received this email: Congratulations, Ryan! I’m very pleased to inform you that your painting, Amsterdam Skyline, has won Second Place in this year’s Watermedia Showcase competition. In recognition of this, you’ll receive a prize award of $____ + free Artists Network Membership for 1 year ($__…
