Postcard from Venice

Welcome to Venice.  It’s been a while since I’ve written about this special gem of a city in Eastern Italy. I also take this occasion to present you with a new digital painting…titled “Gondolas at Rest.”

For those readers who only know me from my photographic work, I actually became better known for my digital paintings. That is what I displayed for several years at all my art shows prior to retiring. I was fortunate enough to have some of my works hung in prestigious galleries. To be honest, I haven’t done many since moving to Tucson, 2.5 years ago. But I have taken up the brush again. I have more in the works so you will see them from time-to-time here.

To briefly explain the process, my paintings begin as photographs. Then, using several different software programs such as Painter, I create paintings of various different styles by hand, meaning I use a graphics tablet and a stylus to create a painting from the photograph. In many ways, I work just like a oil or watercolor painter…only I don’t use any paint. The colors you see are derived from the original photo. I’ve coined the term, “Photo Expressionism” for this type of work. 

The Venice paintings, and there are several of them, were always my most popular works. It is difficult to see the painted details of the work because the image is so small, but if you click on it, you will see (hopefully) a much larger version. You might be able to make out some of the brush strokes. To see more of my Venice paintings and sketches, as well as other subjects, please visit my Web site.

The story of this image is quite simple: when I arrived by train in Venice, it was pouring rain…and I mean pouring. It was not my first visit to this fabled city, but still, I wanted to capture as many images as possible.  So I wandered around the city and just started photographing. I found some interesting places, like the one pictured here. I wish it hadn’t rained but I made the most of my opportunity.  I sure hope one day soon I can return…in sunshine!

(To see a larger version of this painting, just click on the image.)