The Venice Paintings
After visiting Venice this Spring, I returned to my studio and painted these five paintings.
Afloat, 68 x 58 inches
I had never been to Venice, but always wanted to go one day. The day came this year, thanks to the European Cultural Council for contacting me about a possible exhibition opportunity in 2024. I decided to go and check out the ECC and the Biennale that opened in April and continues through November of this year.
Even though this blog is about my artwork I created after visiting Venice, I want to acknowledge the Venice Biennale and Personal Structures because it was a significant part of my visit. I viewed artwork for over 5 days and loved every moment of it! There are too many artists to note, but I want to mention Paula Rego. She died a few days after I saw her work at the Biennale. I was so happy to see this strong female artist’s work and her contribution to woman artists over the decades.
You can see more about the Biennale Arte 2022: The Milk of Dreams here and Personal Structures here.
Arriving in Venice
I was a bit intimidated since I had never been to Venice. The instructions to get to my hotel were to take Water-line 1 to a certain stop, then walk over many bridges to my final destination. Wandering through the streets, I found my way to my hotel and was already in love with the city. Thankfully, I stayed in the north part of the city. It was relatively quiet and gave me a sense of “home” for 5 nights.
First Impressions, 51x 64 inches
I loved taking the boats on the waterways. In fact, more than once I decided to pass my stop and take the boat as far as I could, then take another one back. The light was beautiful when the sun was setting. The orange and yellow buildings faded into the water.
Many Reflections
Reflections on the water were inspiring as the world seemed to be upside down. The water met the sky; the sky the water. Rusty pinks were at the horizon, both in the air and on the water.
The sky is abstract: something you can’t walk on, nor is it containable. The water is containable if you gathered it, but has abstract similarities. You can’t walk on it. There are many unknowns below the surface. It is vast with no boundaries. Above the surface we mostly see reflections rather than the structures or organisms below the surface. The buildings are the only constructions that we comprehend because they are manmade. However, they appeared to be floating on the surface of the water.
A Waft, 51 x 64 inches
constant movement
You can’t walk through the city without the feeling of constant movement shifting up and down. A city built on water makes one think the foundation can’t be structurally sound. It’s magical that the city is still standing many centuries after it was built.
Afloat, 68 x 58 inches
In the above painting, I decided to suspend colors floating in white space to express the sense of the movement when one is walking through the city.
Peggy Guigenheim
an inspiration
The first day I arrived in Venice, I took a walking tour. Statues and buildings were pointed out as well as the history of how the city was built. That same day, I took a water taxi and passed Peggy Guggenheim’s home, which is now a museum. This devoted art collector and influencer led the way for the marriage of European and American artists and played a huge role for the birth of abstract expressionism as we know it today.
Untitled, 58 x 84 inches
I feel like there should be a statue of Peggy Guggenheim due to all of her contributions. With the color of her home similar to the colors of many statues, I viewed the whole museum as her statue.
In the above painting I thought a lot about how we learn from the past and the people who inspire us. The statue part on one side of this painting gave a wealth of life with colors and movement to the other side of the painting. The counterparts become dependent on one another.
In My Studio
I enjoyed working in my studio this summer. We did have record high heat, but I was happy to be inside where I could work.
This painting is untitled at the moment. It was the last painting I finished. 58 x 84 inches
What’s next
I am currently working on a 10 foot commission in my Portland studio. Plus I am working on a solo exhibition that will be at Calloway Fine Art & Consulting in Washington DC this coming spring. More paintings from my travels this summer will be a part of the solo exhibition. You can follow me on instagram or facebook to see regular updates. And if you are not already on my mailing list, please sign up here.
Thanks for reading!
Very warmly,
Karen Silve