To me the clouds look like spirits dancing in the sky, or the feeling of love flowing out of your heart. It is light, free, and wild in its own gentle way. This commission was painted from a reference photo taken by my collector’s husband when they were visiting Venice. It was one of her last trips with her mother, so it’s a beautiful way to remember being with her on that magical night.

This one started out so challenging because I was trying to blend a gradient of six different colors of acrylic paint in the open air. (It was right after Hurricane Helene had hit my town and we didn’t have power.) Even once I could get back indoors it was still quite a challenge. However, once the background came together everything else just fell into place. The wispy clouds and the water were a delight to paint. It was a bit like cruising into a beautiful evening after having done the hard work of the day. Once you get past the the initial effort everything just flows together.