I am very pleased to announce that I recently won the Waverley Art Prize for printmaking, with a piece that was inspired by a recent trip to Venice. Another print that I submitted, a portrait of my father, was selected as a finalist.
Description:
My love for Venice stems from it being a walking city, absent of the smells and noises of cars. However, as a major tourist location, the challenge is to find those hidden alleyways where locals freely conduct their lives.
As I sat at this corner, I could hear sounds of music from a nearby classroom window, parents and their children racing to get to school. Then silence. It was a hot spring day and the light had a sharp edge to it. The stillness and chiaroscuro of the midday sun gave this innocuous alleyway a sense of quiet splendour that captured so much of what I find beautiful about this city – washing hanging from a window, faded plaster, graffiti and worn buildings.
This piece is a dry point etching added with water-colour taken from my original sketch.