Late summer afternoon, Venice, Italy

2008-2010 

oil on canvas

1200 x 1200 mm

$3,740

These are the koru’d tails of two gondolas floating on the light dancing on the water of Venice.  I wanted to capture the “old gold” quality of being in Venice. A sense that the magic of the spirit of this place is old, and under the surface.   The blush Venetian reds of looking through, or of trying to see after a few Bellinis.  The water is intentionally “mystic” and on its way to assuming, reflecting other forms. The light is “of it’s own”, too, and a distinct element to the water.  Being in Venice was a watershed moment of my own. A chance to walk right into a painting [How To Look At A Painting, Justin Paton, Awa Press]. To be, in heaven. A chance to be in the epi-centre of a real live visual culture that cherishes art – as a way of celebrating life itself. This experience made the prospect of life as an artist make sense.  The title comes from Guiseppe Moretti, and his book of the same title, Coyote Books, 1996.