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.