In 2014 Clare spent a month in Italy, travelling solo without a planned journey. She meandered from historic Rome to the rolling hills of Tuscany, to the stunning sea-side cliffs of Cinque Terre and the Italian Riviera, to the tall mountains and depths Lake Como.

She bought some beautiful paints and paper in Rome, and travelled around sketching and painting, indulging in exploration and inspiration.

“Budgies in Florida” had been a theme prior to the journey, and they worked their way, as a travelling companion, into the Italian trip as “A Budgie Abroad”.
Budgie in the Lemon Tree was painted in a lemon orchard in Cinque Terre.