Convert Your Favorite Travel Photos Into "Paintings"

There are manycompanies that will take your photographs and transfer them to canvas and frame, just like an oil painting. I had two photographs I took in Florence, Italy, looking out of Giotto's Tower. After remodeling a small bathroom I desired to open it up a little. It's actually a technique that has been used for centuries, using a faux window to create the illusion of space and depth. It goes back as far as the Romans, who would use fresco paintings depicting outdoor scenes to open up windowless rooms.

So I went to Costco with these two photos I took in Florence, both of them looking out windows of solid stone and stucco. The effect is grand. It proved to be a relatively inexpensive solution to a small, claustrophobic, room. It instantly transformed a boring, closed-in space, by adding a "window" looking out on my favorite place in the world. In effect, from a small bathroom in my home I can now look out windows on to Piazza della Signoria and Piazza San Giovanni in Florence.

So next time you travel, look out windows by all means, and if you like what you see, snap a picture. You may want to mount it some day and hang it in your home.