Revisiting Venice

Venice gondoliere, oil on canvas, 40 x 50 cm, ©2011 Julie Galante.

If you follow this or my other blog, you’ll have an idea how much I love Italy. It seems unfair that a single country can contain so much wonderful food, art, and beauty. I find the combination irresistible. So it’s not so surprising that Italy keeps making appearances in my artwork. I am particularly fascinated with the way that old Italian buildings and towns manage to decay in a way that is so intensely visually appealing.

Venice is not one of my favorite cities to visit in Italy. I don’t dislike the place; I just think there are plenty of better destinations for experiencing the atmosphere (and cuisines) of the country. But Venice definitely excels at beautiful decay.

Tags: cityscape, Italy, oils, painting, Venice

Little daily paintings

Venice, acrylic on canvas, 20x20cm

For most of my art career, teachers and mentors have pushed me to paint larger. While I appreciate the advice in general, this month I’ve been feeling the urge to run in the opposite direction. I’ve been playing with tiny canvas sizes, anywhere from 15 x 15 cm to 30 x 30 cm, and producing one or more finished paintings per day. I find it a great opportunity to practice, experiment, and grow as an artist. Plus it should give me plenty of work to share here. The first couple are scenes from my travels to different parts of Europe, but I’m thinking of narrowing my subject matter down to scenes from Munich, at least for a little while.

Tags: acrylic, daily painting, Italy, painting, Venice