Lunchtime in Campo Santa Margarita

 I went off in search for Campo Santa Margarita in the Dorsoduro section of Venice. It was quite a lively location with a lot of bars and restaurants. There were crowds of young people hanging out all around me. I sat down and started sketching a couple. A few minutes later they decided to change tables so I had to look for new models. I’ not sure if this couple was aware that I was sketching them until another couple walking by noticed and commented rather loudly…”it’s that couple there.” My models did stop by a bit later and loved the sketch. Too bad it was still quite a bit away from being finished. (Rule #1 - start sketching the part of the scene that may move away first.)

Sweets

 The current Creative Spark ScavengervHuntvhas “sweets” as an item as well ad “box”. These tasty pistachio filled cookies were sitting on the table calling to be sketched. Pistachio seems to be a bit thing here and the pistachio gelato is so good!

Burano House

 This Burano house seems to have had a hard time deciding on one color. It seems like quite a few layers of paint are showing through. It has a certain charm.

Burano Snack Bar

 I love taking a trip to Burano. All the colorful buildings just make me smile. I sat across the canal to sketch this snack bar.

Going Digital

 While I’m here in Venice I’ve tried to keep up with the Creative Spark Scavenger Hunts. I find doing some of them as Procreate sketches works best. I don’t need a separate sketchbook. 

One of the items was leaves. I have a small pot of flower that our pianist, Natalie, brought me when we arrived.

Another item was a coffee station. I gathered the coffee maker that Jerry uses and the small moka pot that I use for my decaf coffee. It barely makes a half cup. lol I did this as a continuous line sketch and then added color.

A Bridge Across

 I wandered and found a spot I hadn’t been to before. A bridge, a walled garden, a staircase, a flag and a canal all converged in one spot. While I was sketching a woman came along and asked if it would be ok if she sat and sketched there too. It was one of her favorite spots. She was originally from southern CA but has been living in Italy for a few years…first in Rome where she got her masters in something to do with the Italian Renaissance. Now she is living in Venice and loves it. We talked for quite a while. Sketching can be more fun with someone to share it with.

From the Vaporetto Waiting Area

 The other day we had rain all morning. Finally it seemed to have stopped. I didn’t want to take a chance on getting wet, so I walked over to the San Silvestro vaporetto stop and sat inside the covered waiting area. There are a few seat and the view was pretty good. My paper and I stayed nice and dry.

Along the Canal

 Many restaurants that are along the canals here have seating outside. It is a nice way to dine and watch the world go by.

Sunset from St Mark’s

 Luckily I was able to meet Sandrine for another afternoon before she went back to Paris. I met her outside the Palazzo Grimaldi and we did some shopping in that area. As the afternoon went on we ended up in Saint Mark’s Square. We were lucky and found a bench near the vaporetti and taxi docks. The sky looked lovey and we pulled out our sketchbooks and paints. Of course we continued to paint until we couldn’t see anything any more. It was a great ending to Sandrine’s time here. Hopefully we will cross paths somewhere again!

Giudecca View

 An urban sketcher from Paris, Sandrine Sla, who I met at several of the USk Symposiums was in Venice taking a workshop. She and I got together twice in the late afternoon to sketch. We sat at a cafe on the Zattere and sketched Giudecca across the canal. It was nice to have some sketching company. We chatted as the sun was going down.

This and other sketches are inside a concertina sketchbook I’ve been working on. I will try to post the whole thing all together when it is finished.

Tourists

 While I was sketching the section of the building yesterday, tourists were constantly blocking my view so I sketched them separately.

Saint Mark’s Square

 Before leaving home l bought a ticket to Saint Mark’s Basilica. I also wanted to go upstairs to see the horses and the view from the balcony. I wasn’t sure I could do all that climbing, but the website said you could purchase that portion at the basilica. Unfortunately the only was you could buy a ticket was to scan the QR code and do it on your phone. But to do that I would need working with-fi and I didn’t have that. I was out of luck. Instead I headed outside to sketch. I sat on a ledge by the bell tower. That was fine until it got crowded and people kept blocking my view. I did the best that I could.

This is a section next to Saint Mark’s Cathedral done in toned paper with ink, a white Posca marker, and watercolors.

 This is the fish market in Venice.

5 - natural (fish) - watercolors and ink

6 - artificial (lights)

Daily Life

 Daily life in Venice often starts with coffee and then some grocery shopping usually in the other side of at least one bridge.

Relaxing

There are endless places to stop and have a coffee, a drink, or a snack in Venice.

Welcoming Red Striped Poles

 Near the S. Angelo vaporetto stop there is a hotel entrance from the Grand Canal with these red and white striped poles. What a pretty welcome!

Greenery Over the Gate

 Every once in a while I come across gardens and greenery in Venice. It is a nice contrast to the stone and plaster. 

Yellow and Blue Poles

 I don’t know how or why some entrances along the canals have colorful poles outside. I will have to check that out. 

Procreating in Venice

 I have been trying to keep up with the Creative Spark Scavenger Hunt. This first one is a continuous line sketch of a sink area…color added later

The prompt was a nest. This is Jerry sitting at his work nest area.

Sitting by the Canal

 Thud is a fun spot to sketch from. There are always people sitting and watching the activity in the canal. There aren’t a lot of spots where you can sit unless you want to sit at a table and eat or drink. This couple was there for a long time, and left just as I was almost finished painting them. Then I added in all the other details.

Laundry and a Bridge

 I like roaming around Venice until something catches my eye. The hanging laundry and the bridge did that. The gondola was a bonus!

Campo San Polo

 We are staying in an apartment in a square called Campo San Polo. There are some great shade trees in the center. Care to sit for a while?

Doorway on the Canal

 Along the canals are so many interesting doorways…like this one.

  

Spritz by the Canal

 There is a spot near the Rialto Bridge that has tables outside where you can have drinks and snacks. It overlooks a gondola service area. I was able to get a table up front and ordered a spritz to have while I sketched. The glass had an olive on a skewer that I took out and put on the table. As I was sketching a big seagull landed on the table, snatched the olive, and flew away with it.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

 On Tuesday we left JFK for Italy. We flew to Milan and then took the Maloensa Express to Milano Central to take the train from Milan to Venice. Then it was one vaporetto ride down the Grand Canal to the San Silvestro stop where our apartment was a few blocks and one bridge away. Thank heaven for some angels who helped us get our luggage in and off the modes of transport. It was exhausting and Jerry’s back was bothering him. BUT we made it. 

Unusual Easel

 When I returned to the center of the town of Oyster Bay there were several artists near the gazebo. It was fun to sit and chat as well as find a scene to sketch. Melanie was standing and using the cannon as her easel. She had all of her supplies at the base of the cannon. I knew she would be there for a while because she was doing a large sketch of several storefronts. Perfect!

Bait for Sale

 Once a year the NYC Urban Sketchers come to Oyster Bay here on Long Island for a day of sketching. Sketchers came by train from Manhattan, others came by car from Westchester and New Jersey, and joined with the sketchers who live on Long Island. I looked for a view I hadn't sketched before and found these signs advertising "Bait for Sale." How could I resist?

Autumn Still Life

Our weekly meeting of the Patchogue Sketch Club had an autumn theme for the night. 

Andrews Family Farm

I knew I wanted to paint at Andrews Family Farm this season, but I was running out of day because I had a trip coming up. So I requested that my plein air group head there for a morning of sketching. Denise Andrews and the staff there are always so welcoming to us when we come to paint. The setups at the farm stand there always make me smile.