I’m a retired journalist and for years have traveled with watercolors, sketchbooks and a desire to step off the beaten path. But oil paints are the medium I favor most now. Nature is my muse, especially the sea, since I spend my summers at the New Jersey shore. But my ancestral home of Italy provides plenty of inspiration also. I'm mostly self-taught, but have taken classes in person and online with artists whose work I've admired -- the late Ty Hodanish and Dennis Perrin, Lois Griffel and Ryan Lilienthal. When I’m not painting, I can most likely be found in the kitchen, whipping up recipes for my food blog, Ciao Chow Linda.