Colors of Venezia

Watercolor on Arches paper

Colors of Venezia
copyright © Sophia Khan

You many recognize this Venetian facade as one I paint often ~ and indeed will continue to paint as I find it so very beautiful and rhythmic, with a touch of mystery and intrigue. It's one of those places that lends itself to my loose, interpretive way of painting architecture. 

Shared here is actually one of my earliest watercolors of the palace. Painting this facade, just as painting any other place, is a way for me to celebrate the beauty of a site, my memories of being there, and what I remember most. And so each painting holds the gems of my travel experiences.

With Venice, here I am thinking of contrasts; of dark and light, of vibrant colors and pure white, of dreamlike spaces and beauty floating between sky and water, and these words...

Venice is a Contrast

Venice is a contrast
The roads we drive on
The land we walk on
all disappear
and what emerges before us
is water, lightness, a feeling as if we too, along with the city, are floating
in a dream of a place that has both always existed,
and has just come to life when we arrived to admire its glory

Venice is a contrast
From a world where we know how to get somewhere
Here it is best to lay map aside
lay our notions of place, arrival, space, and time aside
And let the silent lure of the city, the maze, guide us by freeing us

Venice is a contrast
What is possible, what we can experience, what we know, is all contained within the roof of our lives, our homes, our beliefs.
Here, in the city of Venice
We are called, lead, guided to believe that anything is possible and soon learn that indeed it is.

Color of Venezia ~ the above watercolor ~ is available as a limited edition archival print, in my online shop here.