Was Raphael Really OCD?

Was Raphael Really OCD?

No, OCD wasn’t a “thing” during the Renaissance, but there is evidence of people suffering from obsessive behaviors. In this post, I explain my rationale for giving Raphael obsessive behaviors and the research behind the decision.

Meeting Mona Lisa

Meeting Mona Lisa

A friend recently told me about his experience seeing the Mona Lisa for the first time. "I was expecting to have this quiet, intimate moment with this beautiful painting," he said. "Instead, it was a madhouse! Why didn't anyone…

Top 10 Little Known Facts About the Sistine Ceiling

Top 10 Little Known Facts About the Sistine Ceiling

In honor of the anniversary of Michelangelo unveiling his Sistine Chapel ceiling on Nov 1, 1512, here are 10 things you might not know about that ceiling.

Top 10 Recommended Books for Fans of Oil and Marble

Top 10 Recommended Books for Fans of Oil and Marble

My Top 10 Recommendations for nonfiction & fiction reads for fans of Oil and Marble.

Shockingly True Things in Oil and Marble

Shockingly True Things in Oil and Marble

Today, a new Leonardo da Vinci drawing was discovered in France (see featured image). To honor this very real discovery of very real history, here are 10 shockingly true stories from my historical novel, Oil and Marble: a novel of Leonardo and Michelangelo. I wrote lots of imagined bits — that’s why it’s fiction — but these historical facts may surprise you.

Bibliography for Oil and Marble

Bibliography for Oil and Marble

A lot of people ask about the research that went into my art historical novel, Oil and Marble. I’ve been obsessed with Michelangelo, Leonardo and the Italian Renaissance for over 20 years (I’ve read every book I could find, crawled into …

Leonardo da Vinci: Top 10 Quotes

Leonardo da Vinci: Top 10 Quotes

In honor of Leonardo da Vinci’s 565th birthday today (he was born on April 15, 1452), I’m celebrating with 10 of my favorite quotes attributed to the maestro (yes, many of these can be found in my novel, Oil and Marble).

On Revisiting the Last Supper

On Revisiting the Last Supper

The first time I visited — over 20 years ago — the painting felt distant. I’d studied it for so may hours in a dark art history classroom that I didn’t know how to connect with the thing itself. The second time, I focused on studying every …


Top 10 Questions About Oil and Marble

Top 10 Questions About Oil and Marble

Over the last two-and-a-half months, I’ve traveled to 18 states, signed over 1,000 books, and put on 81 “shows” (where I do a reading and/or talk about my novel). I’ve spoken at book stores, museums, art galleries, libraries, historical …

Historical Fiction: History or Fiction?

Historical Fiction: History or Fiction?

I’m an art-historical novelist, so I’m very familiar with the on-going debate at the center of historical fiction: Is it the novelist’s duty to serve the HISTORY or the FICTION? Readers expect to learn something from historical fiction — to …

The Question That Inspired Oil and Marble

The Question That Inspired Oil and Marble

The most common question I get about my art-historical novel, Oil and Marble: a novel of Leonardo and Michelangelo, is: “What inspired you to write it?”

For five years, from 1501 – 1505, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo Buonarroti both lived and worked in Florence. Leonardo was an aging master, the most famous of his day. Michelangelo was a young, up-and-coming sculptor.

10 Hard Core Women of the Renaissance

10 Hard Core Women of the Renaissance

Warriors and Queens. Geniuses and schemers. Masters of swords and horses. They weren’t all saints (in fact some were downright evil), but they all fought their own battles. Beware Lara Croft and Katniss Everdeen…