Venice and the East

"How do I make it last? How can it stay? This feeling of immense joy I feel in my heart here."

- Venice, 2022 diary

Dear Friends,

I am delighted to share wonderful news from my studio. Many of you will know that my love and reverence for Venice runs deep. Not only as a creative, but also as a seeker.

Each retreat to the city asks something new and inspires something new. Not just about the city and how to paint her, but also what she reveals to me about my own self and what is possible in my life.

In light of this, it is with much gratitude that I share being awarded a 2026 Long Island Grant for the Arts, Artist Fellowship.* With this grant, I will be pursuing an Artist Residency in Venice, to research and to make art that celebrates the influence of the East in Venetian Architecture, through their historic trade relations. This will be a beautiful opportunity for my growth as an Artist towards celebrating the beauty in cross cultural exchange in the visual world.

My foundational research for this topic is the book “Venice & The East,” by Architectural Historian, Deborah Howard. It is not only incredibly well researched but beautifully written.

As I research the topic more, I am learning how Venice shaped her own identity.  Not only for the world, but perhaps even more so for herself. Venice shaped how she wanted to see herself.

I could not be more grateful for this opportunity to pursue this residency in Venice; and to look toward how traveling across the Mediterranean inspired how Venice dreamt and fashioned her own image.

Dreams can be in the making for decades…..sometimes we don’t know where we are being lead. Alignment, curiosity, and following what gives us joy, pleasure, and keeps us curious can only always lead to beautiful things.

From my very first trip to Venice, I recognized something of myself. For each season of my life, this has come to mean new things, all the while being guided to look just outside what I can knowingly conceive.

I will be sharing more about this creative journey as it continues to take shape both here and also in my Instagram, if you might like to join.

Until next time, wishing you much serenity, joy, and beauty, in your days ahead.

xo

Sophia

*This work is supported by Long Island Grants for the Arts through funds provided by the office
of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, and administered by The Huntington Arts
Council.