Aug 15, 2016

Quiet Afternoon Venice Watercolor Painting

Starting on September 12 I am teaching a class titled “Paint Venice With Dennis” at the Art Students League of Denver. It will give me a chance to use all the photo’s that I have taken in Venice over the years as well as the masks from Winter Carnival and other things that I have collected on painting trips to that beautiful city. This painting was done from one of the many bridges that cross the canals and add to the ambiance of Venice. Standing on that bridge I was captivated as the colors in the canal changed due to the changing sunlight. Venice is the perfect place to wander and be delighted by all the different things that you would never see anywhere else. One afternoon I watched with great interest from the balcony of my hotel as workmen refinished the old buildings across the canal. When they were done it looked new and at the same time 100 years old. The Italian workmen are true masters of their craft. Getting back to this painting, I simplified the composition by leaving out a few awnings and other details that I felt added nothing to the painting. There is a saying among artists “What you choose to leave out is as important as what you include.”