Santa Maria Formosa

Santa Maria Formosa
framed size 15" x 19" £495

I remember painting this in Venice on a misty and cold afternoon. I wasn't too sure how it was going, as is often the way! I knew I didn't want to put too much detail into the church, in fact I couldn't see much detail because every so often the fog would thicken up making it difficult to see anything at all!

I was attracted to the characterful leaning of the church buildings - I'm pretty sure they were leaning, or maybe I was leaning? Anyway, there was a little bit of life in the square with people passing through in dribs and drabs. And I liked the small touch of colour which was a stall selling glass lanterns.

You know that I don't like to touch a plein air painting afterwards but sometimes needs must. In this case I had a tiny adjustment to make. The young couple on the left shared a very brief kiss which I didn't quite manage to catch at the time. I was determined to remember it for later though as the action seemed to lend a story to the whole scene.

This is the painting as I left the site, with sort of half a girl!

I couldn't really leave her headless, she was too large in the painting to not have a head! 

So I remembered the kiss and brought the pair closer together...

There now, that's better for the lovestruck couple! If you look carefully you can see that her previous body has now become a bit of background interest. I touched nothing else in the painting, for I fear I would lose the freshness. I love the sketchy marks and thin dribbles of paint coupled with larger simplified shapes that make up this piece. And the green greys. Plus a little extra warmth in places. And those lanterns. Sorry, I'm rambling now...

 

Ponte dei Pugni

From the Ponte dei Pugni, looking towards Campo San Barnaba £285 

Another from last week's trip to Venice. I painted this one standing on the Ponte dei Pugni (which means bridge of fists), looking towards Campo San Barnaba which is one of my favourite spots in Venice. The large white building you can see on the right hand side is the Church of San Barnaba.
The ponte I was painting from is a bridge with an interesting history though - in the 17th century rival clans used to meet here to fight. In fact there are four footprints marked in stone, one on each corner of the bridge, to show where opponents should stand! Apparently the bridge had no railings at the time so you can only imagine the shouting and jeering and mayhem going on as grown men fell into the murky canal below. I bet it was quite a spectator sport.