Drawings and Memories of Venice
‘There is nowhere on earth where observation merges more subtly into imagination…’
Jan Morris
“It is the city of mirrors, the city of mirages, at once solid and liquid, at once air and stone.”
Erica Jong
I was recently lucky enough to spend a few days in Venice, and my drawings and memories of the place have been a powerful influence on much of my recent work. For me, Venice evokes a mix of feelings: continual wonder at its stupendous beauty, and sadness at the damage caused by the hordes of tourists (of which I am one, so of course there’s a conflict there). It’s a place that has long caught the imagination of so many artists and writers.
My favourite area is Dorsoduro, a much less touristy part of the city. The place we stayed overlooked a little square, and I loved watching people heading off to work, children going to school, and students with their portfolios going to college. There was a small canal, busy not with tourist traffic but with the rubbish boat (visiting every day), as well as fire engines, police, ambulances, and delivery boats. And a lively square, Campo Santa Margherita – essential to stop there for a coffee before doing anything else.
I found the perfect drawing spot on Zattere, looking across to Giudecca. I’m not a painter of buildings (however beautiful they may be), so I was looking for open water and a big sky, plus the iconic San Giorgio Maggiore on the other side of the water. I particularly like the light in the late afternoon and at dusk, so I found myself making studies of sunsets in Venice – hard to imagine a more clichéd subject! A good painterly challenge, though.
I had a very productive afternoon making colour studies of the city on the windowsill of our flat. I became quite obsessed with the warm/cool colour chords of Venice – turquoise-green water and warm pinkish brick, or rich golden evening clouds against cooler blue-grey skies.
I can’t help but be influenced by J. M. W. Turner’s paintings and sketches of Venice. I’m particularly drawn to his watercolours, where the whole city seems to be dissolved in light, such as in The Canale della Giudecca, Venice, with Santa Maria della Salute, San Giorgio Maggiore, the Zitelle and the Redentore to the East (1840).
I felt that some of my loose colour studies conveyed that feeling better than the sketches of a specific place. Also, while painting, I was aware of the danger of becoming too topographical and fixating on particular recognisable buildings, rather than evoking a sense of Venice as a whole.
My Venice paintings can be seen in several exhibitions this summer . . .
Left: Last light, from Zattere, oil on canvas, 90x100cm
Right: Evening light, Venice sky, oil on panel, 20x20cm.
Featured in ‘Beautiful, swift and bright’, Sladers Yard Gallery, West Bay, Dorset, until 12 July
Left: Turner’s light, across the lagoon, oil on panel, 50x50cm
Right: Venice light, thinking of Turner, oil on panel, 20x23cm
Available via Fairfax Gallery, Tunbridge Wells, in their 30th Anniversary exhibition, 14 June to 13 August
Gold and sea green, Venetian Sky, oil on canvas, 50x50cm
In the New English Art Club (NEAC) Annual Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London SW1, 12-21 June
A couple of book recommendations about Venice:
– Venice: City of Pictures by Martin Gayford
– Turner and Venice by Ian Warrell
Other work . . .
I’m attracted (as always) to dramatic, slanting clouds, whether in the Ashdown Forest or the North Downs, near my studio. I’m always aiming to evoke a sense of being outside, experiencing the wind and air.
Chasing the storm, Ashdown, oil on panel, 30x30cm
In the New English Art Club (NEAC) Annual Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London SW1, 12-21 June
Teaching News
We’ve already had one two-day workshop in the beautiful Red Studio at Emerson College in Forest Row, Sussex, with three more scheduled and still a few places available. Dates are 16-17 July, 30-31 July, and 13-14 August.
They’re a great way to carve out some time for yourself to paint, in the company of like-minded artists, with lots of support and one-to-one tuition from me. I always find that the groups gel in a really supportive way, with a relaxed but focused atmosphere.
The workshops are run by The New School of Art, where you can also find videos of me working, plus an online subscription course which includes monthly videos, assignments, a course gallery and chat function, and the opportunity to receive my in-depth feedback on your paintings.
EXHIBITION: ‘Beautiful, swift and bright’ Joint Show at Sladers Yard, Dorset (17 May–12 July)
I’m delighted to be exhibiting again at Sladers Yard in West Bay, Bridport, Dorset, this summer. My work will be alongside that of fellow painters Nick Jones and James Lynch, as well as ceramics by Gabriele Koch, and furniture by Petter Southall.
“A glorious celebration of the English rural landscape by five artists, each of whom has a thrilling, richly developed style of their own.”
It’s a wonderful space with an excellent cafe, and just a few minutes walk to West Bay beach, so a great day out!
cloud
Zattere
sky
PAST EXHIBITION ‘Beneath the Clouds’ Group Exhibition at The Granary at Flatford
11-19 May 2024, 11am-4pm
I’m excited to be showing work with a wonderful group of artists in Flatford in Suffolk one of my favourite places in the world (the Constable connection!)
The exhibition showcases artists who use location and nature as an impetus to create work that encapsulates personal memories and artistic vision.
As well as me, exhibiting artists are Amanda Ansell, Wendy Brooke-Smith, Ruth Carter, Simon Carter, Julie Cuthbert, Jane Lewis, Sarah Milne, Ruth Philo, Felicity Young, Nat Young.
The exhibition is free, but normal admission charges apply for the venue (National Trust).
PAST EXHIBITION: ‘Under Ancient Skies’ Solo Show in Dorset from 23 March to 12 May
Exhibition ran at Sladers Yard in West Bay, Dorset (now ended).
The nucleus of this show is an amazing residency I did in County Kerry, Ireland last autumn. With my car filled to the roof with paints, canvases and drawing materials, I drove west across England, Wales and Ireland to the far Atlantic coast. My base was a tiny stone cottage, part of an abandoned famine village, from where I was able to explore the wild, ancient landscape, drawing and absorbing the atmosphere. A 24-hour power cut during Storm Babet meant the cottage was lit by candlelight, a real link with how things would have been in the past.
I’ve also drawn on past trips to some of the ancient sites I find so inspiring – Silbury Hill, Dorset, Cornwall, Pembrokeshire, and the Scottish islands among others.
You’ll find a small selection of my paintings from the exhibition in the slideshow below. You can see the rest on the Sladers Yard website.
Exhibition News (Autumn/Winter 2023)
I’m delighted to have artwork in several group exhibitions this month. See below for images of a some of paintings that feature in the shows, along with photos from the private views, and links to find out more.
ING Discerning Eye at Mall Galleries, London, 17-26 November 2023
My three paintings in this exciting group exhibition were selected by Discerning Eye’s guest curator Ian H Watkins, aka H from Steps!
Find out more about the exhibition
View my paintings that feature in the show
‘Radiance’ at Slader’s Yard, West Bay, Dorset, 18 November 23 – 20 January 24
Also featuring artwork by Alex Lowery, Martyn Brewster, Vanessa Gardiner, Julian Bailey, Frances Hatch and Petter Southall
Find out more about the exhibition
View my paintings that feature in the show
RWA, Bristol, 170th Annual Open Exhibition
These two paintings of mine are in the RWA Open Exhibition in Bristol, which is open now and runs till 14th January 2024.
- ‘White light, dark land’, oil on canvas, 30x30cm
- ‘Squally clouds, St Ives coast’, oil on canvas, 30x30cm
Packing for a Painting Trip to Ireland
I’m very excited to report that I’m on my way to Ireland for a long-awaited painting trip. What with COVID and various other things it’s been a while since I’ve been able to do something like this.
I’ll be in the beautiful County Kerry, and it’ll be a solo trip so I can concentrate completely on capturing this amazing landscape in drawings and paintings. I’m staying near the Atlantic coast, and so looking forward to spending time there, responding to the changing light and weather over the sea and hills. And recharging my artistic batteries of course!
I’ve been to the same area before but don’t know it very well, so I’ll be thinking about adapting to a different terrain and looking at how that might change my palette.
As you can imagine, a trip like this requires LOADS of art equipment so I’ve been spending a lot of time making lists, preparing and packing. I’m bringing my drawing bag with watercolours, inks, water-soluble sticks, pencil, and charcoal, plus lots of sketchbooks of different sizes. I’ll take my oil paints of course, but also some acrylics and water-soluble oils to play with – plus some oil bars which I haven’t used for a while.
I’ll need quite a few canvases and panels, in pairs of sizes to make it easier to bring back wet paintings. I’ve recently discovered a genius hack which involves slices of cardboard loo roll used at the corners of the two wet paintings to separate them with (hopefully) minimal damage to the painting itself.
I always find I need to take lots of odd bits and pieces – old newspapers, kitchen roll, bulldog clips, wipes, and jam jars. And I’m definitely going to need my wet weather gear – wellies, anorak, waterproof trousers and woolly hat.
I’m so looking forward to seeing what comes out of my trip and posting the results. I’ll share a round-up when I get back (be sure to sign up to my newsletter) and I’ll be posting regular updates and images on Instagram and Facebook while I’m away.
Sláinte!
Louise
Past Exhibitions (Bridport and Bath)
These events have now passed. Here are the event details from the original posting . . .
One of my paintings currently features in a New English Art Club exhibition in Bath. And a selection recently appeared in a group show at Sladers Yard in Dorset. Details of both shows can be found below:
‘Capturing Life: A Century of the New English Art Club‘ at the Victoria Art Gallery, Bridge Street, Bath BA2 4AT
This exhibition combines work by current NEAC members alongside over 30 paintings by illustrious past members.
21 January – 11 April 2023, gallery Tuesday– Sunday, 10.30 am-5 pm. Last entry 4.30 pm. (Closed on Mondays)
‘Silence and slow time‘ at Sladers Yard Art Gallery & Cafe, West Bay Road, West Bay, Bridport, Dorset DT6 4EL (4 February to 18 March 2023). Features paintings by Louise Balaam NEAC RWA, Nicholas Jones, Alfred Stockham ARCA RWA, Furniture by Petter Southall
This exhibition has now ended, but you can still view my paintings from the show online.
Past Exhibition: John Davies Gallery in Gloucestershire (30 Apr-11 Jun ’22)
Past Exhibition: ‘Seizing the Light’at Cadogan Contemporary (21 Sep-9 Oct)
PAST EVENT: Cadogan Contemporary in South Kensington, London hosted ‘Seizing the Light’ a solo exhibition of my new original paintings from 21 September to 9 October 2021.
Past Exhibition: NEAC Annual Exhibition 2021
Four of my paintings featured in the New English Art Club Annual Exhibition 2021, which ran 25 June to 3 July at Mall Galleries in London. You can still view the show on the NEAC website.