Places have a certain resonance to them. Different cities, sites, monument, all bring out a different part of who we are, when we travel there. I feel a more adventurous when I am in Venice, more serene and relaxed in the Tuscan countryside. And the more a country and it's culture is different from that of my home, the more it enriches, the more it allows me to escape from my everyday and what is familiar to me, and the more it widens my scope of understanding of myself.

The Villa Guilia, painted above, is one of those places where a sense of lightness, a sense of serenity, calm, and restfulness takes over. With this watercolor, of a corner detail, I used colors and brushwork to convey those feeling I remember experiencing when I was there.

And so our travels become fragments, gems of who we are, that stay with us in some form, even when we return home from these places.

In the spirit of this, I am excited to be offering Valentine's Day gift bookings, for custom Fine Art Travel Mementos. These are similar to gift certificates. I would send you a printable certificate, as shown below, which you can gift to a loved one on Valentine's Day. I would then work from their favorite travel photograph, to make a beautiful, impressionistic, bespoke painting for them.

This gift works especially beautifully to commemorate a honeymoon travel memory. It can also be gifted to someone close, as a gesture of celebrating their most memorable travels and what makes them unique.

The choices for Valentine's Day certificates are as shown below. The text reads:

To_________________________

A Gift that Brings Home your Most Memorable Travels
~ A Bespoke Work of Art to be Painted from your Favorite Travel photograph~
by Watercolorist Sophia Khan

Gifted by_____________________

(If your prefer different wording or a different image, I can provide a custom designed certificate as well).

The various sizes available are as follow:

8" x 10" ((20.3 x 25.4 cm) for $470
11" x 14" (27.9 x 35.6 cm) for $670
16" x 20" (40.6 x 50.8 cm) for $870

(All prices are in USD. Shipping charges are additional and will be calculated depending upon destination. New York addresses will be charged the appropriate state and local sales tax).

To receive your certificate to give as a gift, you can get in touch through my contact page here. Let me know what size painting you would like to gift, the certificate of choice from the above three, names to be included, and where the final painting would be shipped (city, country).

I look forward to making this Valentine's Day a bit more special, memorable, and beautiful for you and your loved one.

With my Warmest Regards,

Sophia
p.s. For those who may be in or near NY, I will be doing a painting demonstration at the Art League of Long Island's "Art After Dark" on Friday night. More info here.

Moment of Repose, Villa Guilia, Rome

Distance & Desire ~ A Valentine's Day Venetian Art and Book Giveaway

Celebrating Anticipation, View before the Fish Market