Paintings of Venice
Venice is a magical city. There are so many amazing views of Venice that have been captured in paint. There are the obvious ones of St Mark’s Square and the Grand Canal, but then you have the quiet canals that are so distinctive. Sunlight in Venice is of a small canal not far from St Mark’s Square. I recall standing on a bridge, observing the sunlight striking the crumbling facade. The sunlight was connecting the architecture to the rippling water. I decided to capture the scene in my sketchbook.
John Singer Sargent
When painting on location, I take much of my inspiration from artists like John Singer Sargent and Edward Seago. Seago’s watercolours of Venice are particularly simple and fresh and a delight to study. I’ve spent many hours looking at how these artists have composed their paintings. I’ve analysed how they have applied washes of colour and simplified the scene before them. In my painting titled Sunlight in Venice, I broke the composition down into three main elements, the sunlight, the shadows and the architectural details. The architectural details were essentially the windows and the doorways. The main interest was provided by the contrast between the sunlight and the shadows and of course, the colours.
Birthday Card
The painting was actually a handmade birthday card for my wife. She lived in Venice for 5 years before we met. Anything I paint of Venice as a birthday card is always appreciated. I was delighted with the result, so I decided to publish the card as limited edition print, available in different sizes.