"Collapsing Time"

In this work I started out with the idea that the drawing would be divided into two separate parts where the first half of the the drawing would reference Venetian architecture and the bottom half would be a reflection of the city that I would project onto the graves of Venice cemetery. This was to be divided by the surrounding walls of the cemetery. However I as began to work into the piece it became more apparent that I began to question the uncertainty of the city's structure and its ability to remain above water. Living in Venice makes it impossible to avoid the inevitable fact that the city is sinking. With winter brings high tides and short days where the hauntingly beautiful city appears to be being washed away, and in parts it seems almost abandoned, ghostly. After much research and exploration I have become completely moved by the history of venice. I became fascinated by the ghost of what once was part of the city, what remains and what has shifted in this moment of construction, destruction and reconstruction. For me, architecture acts as a ground or departure point in the painting, the structures provide a certain social context that allows me to compress time and place. As I construct the painting, I Start to erase or sand out certain areas which creates an uncertainty and questioning of space. It is between this creation and erasure that something else occurs in the city that bring it to a point of collapse. My intinuition is often what drives my painting and the mark making is what connects me to its narrative. In the work I deal with the cities potential collapse into the sea, I look at the erosion of these historic buildings and question its past and future existence.