Canal Serpent

I was looking at satellite images of Venice to get a sense of the layout from one of the pigeon's perspective and I noticed how the grand canal looks like a giant serpent. I'm surprised to not see more snake imagery here. I brought the image into Photoshop and reworked it a little bit. The result looks like a woodcut or linoleum print! Totally cool.

Lace Making in Burano

I've been away from a computer for a while, trying to enjoy my time here. It's like I've been transported to another century—until I get to an internet cafe, that is. So, I've been working on making some bracelets inspired by all the pretty glass beads I've found here. I've also tried my hand at mask-making. I'm currently working on an exaggerated plague doctor's mask. I say exaggerated because instead of a vulture, my mask is looking more and more like Gonzo from the Muppet Show. I'll post pictures of work soon, I promise.

I took a day trip to the island of Burano. It's about a 40 minute Vaporetto ride from Venice (did I mention the Vaporetto is like the T in Boston except it's a boat in Venice—much cooler). I visited a school and museum of lace making. During the 16C, the wives of fishermen started making lace with needles. Burano is famous for its lace, which is beautiful. It is so complicated and time consuming to make! No wonder it's expensive. I love that these ladies keep this craft alive. Burano is pretty low key compared to Venice and Murano. It seems mostly residential. The houses along the canal are very picturesque. Residents are only allowed to paint there homes in certain colors—pastels. It reminds me a little of Oak Bluffs on Martha's Vineyard.

The Plague Doctor (i.e. the mournful vulture)

Every year before Lent there is huge carnival in Venice that lasts two weeks. People dress up in costume, don masks and revel in San Marco Square among other locales. I've noticed many shops selling these masks. A popular theme is the "plague doctor" mask. During the plague, people posing as doctors (the real doctors fled) would wear masks with a bird-like beak stuffed with spices and herbs and visit patients stricken with the plague. The whole look, from mask to rubber boots, was creepy! Look at the illustrations I found online:

Hmm...not very comforting.

Murano

Murano is a center for glassmaking. Long ago, when the Venetian Republic was born, glass making shifted to Murano because of fears of fire and destruction to Venice's mostly wood buildings. The Murano glassmakers lived like kings: immunity from prosecution, their daughters married into affluent families. The only catch was that they could never leave the Republic! Glass shops, like tourists, are everywhere. I gravitate toward the small, less expensive beads. There are so many pretty patterns and shapes. The technique I like in particular is called millefiori--thousand flowers.
Shop lined canal in Murano.	One of many glass shops.	Millefiori-so cute!

Linoleum Print & Watercolor

I made two water color paintings also. I made the one on the left first. I thought it wasn't good enough, so I tried it again. Of the two, I like the first, less perfect one more. Funny, huh. I'm actually working on a third one. In the end, I'll probably go with the first one but I have to keep trying.

Last, but not least, I made a print on a man walking down a narrow alley in Venice. How could I not make a work of one of the many little alleys?

Next I'm off to the either Murano, Burano, Torcello or all of the above!

Another Monotype

I've had a busy weekend artmaking. I tried my hand at another monotype. This time I focused on the fish monger around the corner from my hotel. The smell was getting to me so I decided to fixate on it. I printed it on a round, textured paper I found. I like it!

My First Monotype

I attempted my first monotype yesterday. It wasn't wholey successful but my plate looked cool so I documented it for you to see. It's a of posts sticking out from the water at dusk. The light is so, so beautiful. I can't explain the impact this type of lighting is having on me other than to produce artwork that somewhat conveys the feelings it inspires.

I'm going to try to paint this scene again.

Pictures from Doge's Palace

The Doge's Palace is a gothic palce in Venice. The palace was the residence of the Doge of Venice and contained the offices of a number of political institutions, arranged around a central courtyard. Talk about ornate!

Always the Light

One of the most amazing things about Venice is the quality of the light. In the morning it's foggy, misty, gray. By mid-morning/noon the sun hits its stride and glorious colors of Venice sing right off the buildings! Look at these images from the Academia bridge:

As much as I love the beautiful colors and the warmth and good cheer of the sunlight, it's the moodiness and mystery of the early morning and late evening fog that inspires me. I'm such a drama queen.

Two videos of the Pigeons in St. Mark's Piazza

Cute

Gross

Rialto Bridge

	The Rialto Bridge is right around the corner from our hotel. It spans the Grand Canal and is the oldest probably the most famous bridge in the city. On the other side is a bustling market. After spending all day walking and touring museums, we stopped for a glass of wine at the base of the bridge.
White wine	View from our table

Lions, Lions Everywhere!

clock tower lion
Capaccio's The Lion of St. Mark	Lions are everywhere in Venice--winged lions, or griffins, to be exact. St. Mark (San Marco) is Venice's patron saint, and his traditional symbol--a winged lion--is the logo of the Venetian Republic. One of the most famous winged lions in Venice is on the Torre dell'Orologio, the clock tower on the Piazza San Marco. Another is in a painting by Capaccio, The Lion of St. Mark, inside Doge's Palace. Capaccio's lion has a human-like face.

All Roads Lead Back to S. Marco's Sq.

Well, as lost I get on these winding streets it seems that I can always find my way back to St. Mark's Square. I went back after that morning and took more photos of all the pigeons! I know, it's so touristy, but there are a crazy amount of pigeons-no kidding. I made a charcoal drawing of the pigeons in the square. The afternoon light is so beautiful!
San Marco Basilica later in the day	My charcoal drawing of pigeons

Breakfast and Basilica

Breakfast room at Pensione Guerrato

This is the breakfast room. How adorable! It looks so painterly. So, one of my goals on this trip is to make artwork in media other than photography. That's a big step for me, as photo is all I really think about. So, I'm going to keep my photos to happy snaps and maybe use them, as well as this incredible place, as inspiration for new, different work. Maybe I'll paint this room? Or the coffee cup on the table...maybe I should start modestly.

Flooded San Marco Square

After breakfast I went to see San Marco Basilica. The church is huge, ornate, and beautiful. It's a byzantine style church. I went so early that the square in front of the church was flooded. I guess that happens daily in Venice. They put up little walkways so that you don't get wet, but I got wet. I decided to admire it from the outside and then go back late morning or around lunch time. If you click on the link above, you can view the interior of the basilica. It's pretty awesome for those of you who can't be here with me. It's cool for me too because many parts of the basilica are closed off to tourists (because there are so many of us) so this is good way to see parts that one otherwise can't see. More to come!