How it all began: Walking in the City (Venice, Italy- Sunday, July 23, 2023 )
08.18.2023
Last month I had the opportunity to travel to Venice, Italy for a 2-week Contemporary Art course at the European Cultural Academy. I had never been to Venice or Italy and had only traveled to Europe once before which was to Amsterdam about 7 years ago. I was selected to attend and offered a scholarship for 50% off the tuition after submitting a proposal for a site specific painting project to be completed post trip and exhibited back in Venice next year. After coming down from cloud 9 after hearing this news, I set out to make this seemingly outlandish dream a reality.
In addition to the scholarship provided by ECA, I was lucky enough to receive a Delaware Division of the Arts Artist Opportunity Grant to help cover most of the remaining tuition. I was able to cover airfare, accommodations, and food after another wonderful bit of financial assistance came my way in the form of a large sale of six of my paintings to the permanent collection of my grad school alma mater, Savannah College of Art and Design.
So I was off with my lightweight summer outfits, fun sunglasses, and comfortable footwear to soak in all that Venice and the ECA course had to offer! And after 2 full weeks of exploring, taking photos, sketching, writing, eating, looking at art, and talking with some of the most inspiring people I’ve ever met I am now embarking on the process of executing this project and exhibiting it in a gallery space in Venice in 2024.
This blog will be the visual and written documentation of the journey of the project. The first post includes a gallery of thumbnails of the first 12 images I collected during my day of walking in the city and some real time notes (see below) I recorded about what I was seeing. These images will be grouped together chronologically in groups of 4 to inspire each painting. I am also planning on challenging myself with the execution of this work by making the paintings on shaped wood panels rather than traditional rectangular surfaces. To me I see this as a way to simulate the action of the engaging visual elements emerging from the environment forming a composite of time and space. I will be sharing color sketches, process images/videos, logistical developments, and all of the challenges along the way.
My goal for this project is for the viewer to begin to see the textures, shapes, patterns and colors in their everyday environments as significant through the act of slowing down to really see the typically overlooked world around them. Wonder can emerge from banality if given the opportunity.
9:39 am- morning light is bright but soft
9:41 am- movement is casual, friendly, determined
9:43 am- geometry meets organic weathering, businesses are opening, residents are waking up
9:45 am- textures are layered over time
9:46 am- see/feel the evolution of the history or the city, intersection of old and new, volume lowers as I move away from busy piazzas
9:50 am- bright color appears as natural elements interact with structures
