A whistle-stop tour, took us from a grey, wet England to the baroque mansions of Valletta, Malta, surrounded by sea and bright blue sky, then on to the historic town of Como on the famous lakeside, and finally to Venice where there was inspiration overload!
We were in Venice mainly to visit Biennale Arte 2017. We saw so much amazing art at the Bienniale, including the work of one of my favourite artists, Mark Bradford – the reason I wanted to go to the Bienniale in the first place. But more of that in a later Update. Without even stepping foot in an art exhibition, there are so many fascinating sights, glimpsed around crumbling corners in this ridiculously beautiful and incredibly crowded city.
Just a few of the things that caught my eye during our travels:
Amazingly ornate, gold baroque decoration covers every surface inside St John’s Co-Cathedral, Valletta, Malta and contrasts so dramatically with the austere exterior of the church.
A single terracotta red house in the green hills viewed from across the rooftops of Como, Italy.
Washing hanging high above our heads, all around the back streets of Venice!
And everywhere we went – an abundance of amazing blues that had me reaching for all the blues in my artist’s travel pack of pastels and paints.
Coming up:
I’ve been selected to exhibit at The Other Art Fair Bristol (1-3 September). Let me know if you’d like complementary tickets. And if you happen to be at The Other Art Fair anyway, do drop by and say hello!
In October, I’ll be starting an MA in painting led by artist Graham Chorlton, at Coventry University.
Till next time,
Jess.