art

by

The Story of the Painting

The Story of the Painting

Every year I bring a small group of cooks and travelers to Italy. Often we go to Venice. Why? The list of whys is very long. People think of Venice has “too many tourists”— but the city and its charms are way bigger than that. My favorite person and chef in Venice is Chef Marika Contaldo Seguso. All of my groups have cooked with her in her villa on the Lido. We’ve toured and shopped with her at the great Rialto Market, we’ve boated deep into the outer lagoon to visit where local fisherman set up nets, we’ve explored the outer islands of Torcello & Burano, and have hiked through a vegetable farm island, Vignole, harvesting artichokes and picnicking within the crops. She is the best person you’ll ever (ever) want to know. I learn so much from her and just love to be in her company.

This painting is an impressionist/folk interpretation of Marika. Here we are at the oldest bacaro/wine bar in Venice: Cantina do Mori. Whenever we visit, Marika orders special wines for us and has the proprietor assemble a huge tray of assorted “cicchetti”…it’s one of my favorite “food moments” in Venice.

Follow Marika at https://www.instagram.com/villa_ines_venezia/

Painting available at Galerie Tangerine

by

The Story of the Painting

“hot chocolate con panna” …The Story of the Painting

“It was a cold and rainy night.” Well, actually a cold and rainy morning in November 2019. We were on our way to Valdobbiadene with our wine guide from Venice Day Trips, Mario Piccinin. We met him at the Tronchetto stop on the vaporetto, the first stop just outside of Venice proper where a passenger van could pull up.

On the way Mario stopped at a freestanding cafe/bar/chocolatier, in a small residential town, to get a halfway-there coffee. One side of the cafe was filled with displays of pretty boxes of chocolates, sweet treats, and highly decorated cakes. The other side had a few tables and a bar counter, bustling with customers. Mario said, “You should try the hot chocolate.” We did. They arrived piled high with sculpted whipped cream. AMAZING. The beautiful servers behind the bar wore wide red ties, black shirts, and brown floppy caps. Just another perfect experience when traveling in the Veneto. @pasticceriabotter

I’m thrilled to have this painting included in the Galerie Tangerine Holiday Salon Show. It’s one of four of my works in the show. View them on the Galerie Tangerine “store” page: Galerie Tangerine Store