Venice

Travel and Art based on Inktober 31 days=31 drawings fun challenge. Day 3.

Artist, ink, Uncategorized, Urban sketching, Voyage

The October 3rd prompt is Vessel.

For my drawings and painting I usually need a story or memory behind it. For prompt Vessel I had some sort of dilemma:)

My 1st option was to do a drawing from life a part of Toronto’s street sculpture with only sinking vessel’s stern is viewable for pedestrians. Yes, it was a good option for ink drawing but it would be a little bit sad one for Inktober…

The 2nd option was a boat that is peacefully swaying on the waves. I used to love watching a boat in Frejus, French riviera during our vacation in France. It would be a good option with a summer vessel’s drawing.

The third option was a gondola with beautiful boats on the Venetian festival Regata Storica. There are many bright colourful vessels with people in elegant historical costumes during competition on Grand Chanal.

Well.. a “story” from Toronto’s street sculpture or a boat from summer vacation in France or Italian festival’s boats? I chose the fall’s festival with some vessels:) My husband’s photo would be the reference for my drawing. I definitely started to receive fun in the game of Inktober!:)

Hope that I convey the atmosphere of magical days when the weather is still warm and cozy, lots of locals and tourists are gathering to enjoy the Venetian competition between teams in beautiful colourful vessels with background of Venetian architecture. The historical festival is giving an additional feeling for the city, a unique and exciting way to get in touch with the spirit of this ancient city and one of its best known traditions: Venetian rowing.

And I am ready for tomorrow’s Inktober prompt – Knot.

Here is the official site with 2021 prompts and rules https://inktober.com/

Bon voyage!

All paintings belong to the author. No image is to be copied without permission.

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Experiencing the Magic of Venice Carnival: An Artist’s Journey

ArtTravel

Visiting Carnival in Venice is the kind of over-the-top, feather-filled spectacle that blows every other life event out of the water. But if you’re an artist, it imprints on your brain so hard you’ll be raving about it for the rest of your days. Cold? Raining? Who cares—I was too busy trying to paint every mask in sight before they ran away.

Veiled woman in purple clothing seated beside a patterned window
Watercolor painting of a seated figure in a flowing purple cloak and white Venetian carnival mask, holding a small dark object, with an ornate latticed window in the background

Half my sketches look like the subjects suddenly remembered they were late for a gondola and bolted mid-brushstroke. By the end, my camera roll was full, my sketchbook was soaked, and I was seriously considering listing “chasing sequins in a downpour” as a new artistic discipline on my resume.

A colorful expressionist painting of three figures in 18th-century Venetian costumes gathered around a table, with a portrait labeled ‘Casanova’ hanging on the wall behind them. The figures wear ornate blue military-style jackets and tricorn hats, and a dish is visible on the table in the foreground
Watercolor painting of a bearded man in a tall red hat and coat beside an easel
A bearded artist in a tall red hat, standing beside an easel.

Later I stumbled across Prendergast’s painting, tried to copy it like a total art thief, and ended up absolutely loving the result. Somehow my “master plan” to fake it turned into me squinting at brushstrokes, muttering about color palettes like a wannabe curator, and realizing I might actually be… into this whole painting thing. By the time I was done, I wasn’t sure if I’d honored the original or committed a stylish crime of passion, but I knew I couldn’t wait to “borrow inspiration” again.

Watercolour painting of a rainy day in a Venetian piazza, with crowds of people carrying colourful umbrellas in red, pink, blue, and orange crossing an arched stone bridge. A tall dark lamp post stands in the foreground, its reflection shimmering on the wet cobblestones below, with loosely rendered historic architecture visible on the right.
after Printergast painting Watercolour painting of a rainy day in a Venetian piazza with crowds of people carrying colourful umbrellas in red, pink, blue, and orange crossing an arched stone bridge.

Love Prindergast’ Venetian paintings Umbrellas in Rain and Bridge. I miss these beautiful colourful dresses and umbrellas. I painted my versions of these paintings.

Watercolour painting after Prentergast, depicting a bustling crowd of elegantly dressed figures crossing a stone arched bridge in Venice, carrying a vibrant array of red, blue, and pink parasols. The scene captures the lively atmosphere of a Venetian street, with figures in period costume ascending and descending the bridge steps, a gas lamp post to the left, and classical architecture in the background.
 the crowded Venetian bridge, the parasol-carrying figures in period costume, the gas lamp, and the architectural backdrop, with a note that it’s painted after Prentergast

Venice is famous for its moody fog, romantic canals, and so many bridges you’ll start to wonder if the streets ever existed at all—or if Google Maps is just playing an elaborate prank on you. It’s the kind of place where you can get lost three times on the way to breakfast and still feel like you’re in a movie set, dodging pigeons in the piazza and pretending you totally meant to end up in a dead-end alleyway. And just when you think it can’t get any more surreal, along comes Venice Carnival, with masked strangers, lavish costumes, and the constant suspicion that the person in the feathered mask might actually recognize you. Have you ever watched or taken part in the Venice Carnival yourself?

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All paintings belong to the author. No image is to be copied without permission.