La Serenissima

Have you ever had a day that you didn't want to end? Maybe it felt perfect in some way; or at least it was perfect in its imperfection? If I am lucky, I feel that way about paintings. I loved doing this little piece. Immediately when I finished it,  I wanted to try it again--bigger! 

Venice is known as "La Serenissima" (in English, "The Most Serene"). In the flesh,  with its golden light and glistening facades, that is definitely the feeling it can evoke. But for the artist, there is so much in terms of architecture, angles, and reflection, that it can easily overwhelm. In the end, though, it is all just shapes and values. The trick, as always, is to figure out just what those shapes and values are. How do they relate to each other as a whole, to make a picture that is not only cohesive but compelling; that says enough, but not too much?  This was a fun challenge that I can definitely see myself revisiting.