Portfolio : Venice

Invisible Cities

The movement of light on water, marble and mosaic dissolves into air the facades of the palazzi on the Grand Canal. The title pays my respects to Italo Calvino’s wonderful book of the same name, in which Marco Polo invents tales of magical cities for his host, the Chinese ruler Kublai Khan, but it gradually becomes clear that he is describing only one city, Venice.

Mixed media and gilding leaf on paper on board

26 x 78 cms

Available, mounted, framed and glazed, overall dimensions 49 x 102 cms, Price on application.

Fig. 1 Invisible Cities. Photo : © In Two Dimensions

The Sea Yearns Itself Towards This City

The view of Venice from the lagoon to the Dolomite Mountains in the distance emphasises the fragility of this city built in water. The title is a quotation from the sixteenth century venetian poet Veronica Franco.

Oil on canvas

25 x 50 cms

Available, unframed, Price on application.

Fig. 2 The Sea Yearns Itself Towards This City. Photo : © In Two Dimensions

Laguna: Alba

The mist over the Venetian lagoon at dawn (alba in Italian) had resonances for me of Scotland (Alba in Gaelic) hence the layers of meaning in the title.

Oil on canvas

40 x 40cms

Available, unframed, Price on application.

Fig. 3 Laguna: Alba. Photo : © In Two Dimensions

Series : Homage to Carlo Scarpa

The architectural work of Venetian Carlo Scarpa responds to space, light and cultural context with an exquisite use of materials. Scarpa’s repetition of the square motif in the evocative, decorative rhythms of his architectural schemes for the Palazzo Querini Stampalia in Venice and the Castelvecchio in Verona has inspired this series of paintings.