This project is a tribute to the six weeks I spent in Europe (four weeks in Spain and two in Italy) in the summer of 2016. Armed with over 2,000 photos, dozens of sketches and millions of memories, I endeavored to assemble a taste of each country through various styles of drawing in order to bring about a flavor for each country. Using a design inspiration from the great Japanese wood block artist Katsushika Hokusai, who is probably best know for his The Great Wave off Kanagawa print, my '36 Views' are a direct nod to the series Hokusai did in the early 1820’s-30’s of “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji” in which he drew Mt. Fuji from a multitude of perspectives, seasons, activities, and locations. So taken was he with Mt. Fuji and so successful were his 36 prints that Hokusai added another ten making the project known as the “The Thirty-six plus Ten Views of Mt. Fuji.” Then he realized that there could be an infinite number of views of Mt. Fuji and he completed one hundred more. Hokusai eventually took on pupils with his most accomplished disciple, Utagawa Hiroshige, completing his own collection of “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji” in the 1850’s. The simple compositions, delicate detailing, and basic colorings of all of these Japanese prints became inspirations for many an artist. Claud Monet, Auguste Renoir, and Vincent Van Gogh are among the famous that claim to have studied these prints; and Cindy Helms decided to as well. Ideas for compositions, level of detailing and colorings stem from the lessons learned by combing through these prints. However, that is the extent of the connection because it wouldn’t do to make Spain and Italy look like Japan; nor a Helms like a Hokusai.