Greetings from Venice. Yes, ~that~ Venice. *smile* I am here doing research for a design project. Today I spent hours at the Gallerie dell' Accademia, photographing textile details from Renaissance-era paintings by Venetian artists. It is very clear that the Venetian painters wanted to make the cut velvets and silk tapestries shimmer, in their portraits of wealthy Venetians!
I am also taking a series of color reference photos, and here's one I really loved because it shows 3 colors of the Terra Cotta with a complementary Blue sky. I've surrounded the photo with fabrics in the same color story, to give you some design inspiration.
Unfortunately the Fortuny Museum is temporarily closed, but I am tracking down some other textile-related exhibits. Perhaps if you come here, you can visit the Fortuny?
Last night I arrived as an EPIC rainstorm hit the Marco Polo Airport. I shared a water taxi with some other people and we raced across the lagoon ahead of the storm. About a half hour later as I got into my hotel room, the storm hit Venice. It sounded like hail against the windows. Because my hotel building is 600 years old, the floor slants, so the water that leaked in under the glass shutter doors ran all the way down/across my floor. It was like having my own private stream in the room. A section of the Accademia was closed today due to severe water damage! However today was a lovely mild and sunny day.
If you'd like to follow along with me on this trip, you can watch a couple of my favorite Venice-sited films: "Summertime" with Katherine Hepburn, and "De-Lovely" about the life of Cole Porter. Next weekend… Roman Holiday! I'll be at the opening reception for a quilt art exhibit on World Hunger, at the US Embassy, presented in conjunction with the UN. Until then… Ciao!
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