Art & Photography

 by Jed

Oh, What Stories Italian Faces Tell

Italian Faces, Italywise

“Immersed” – ©2017 Jed Smith

I love Italian faces. I could spend the rest of my life just working on capturing them in my photography and in my paintings. In this post I share with you four recent images that focus on the weathered faces of seasoned Italian gentlemen.

Italian faces don’t hide or mask one’s disposition

I know this sounds like a gross generality. But, I think overwhelming this is true compared to faces in many other cultures. At the risk of playing into the trite depictions of Italians in Hollywood, Italians are passionate, and they don’t put the reins on letting their emotions be seen. You see it in the animation

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in Black & White 7 comments
 by Jed

The Allure of Venice at Night

Venice at Night, ItalyWise

A Warm Light Beckons – Jed Smith © 2017

Those of you who’ve been following my blog understand I have a love affair with Venice. And, it continues to deepen, particularly in regards to Venice at night.

On this particular March evening, we had just attended a book signing event at the Mont Blanc store near Piazza San Marco. I had brought my camera to capture the event. But, I hadn’t planned on doing any photography once the event concluded.

Then, a twenty-minute walk, to meet up with one of our dearest friends, yielded photos of Venice being claimed by nightfall.

I like challenging myself by adding improvisational assignments to my photo explorations. This stroll became a prime opportunity to

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in Exploring the Veneto / A Romance with Venice / Photography Posts / Color 16 comments
 by Jed

Layers of Solitude

 

photography, Italywise

Layers of Solitude – Jed Smith © 2017

I’m enamored with the emotion and scenes of solitude. When my mother, who was also my life-long art teacher, began exposing me to the bountiful world of artistic expression, I found myself drawn to the likes of Edgard Degas and Edward Hopper, and their depictions of people steeped in solitude. Think The Absinthe Drinker by Degas, and Nighthawks by Hopper.

I love solitude.

Yes, at my core, I am an introvert. A psychological test I took years ago confirmed this. BUT, it also confirmed that I was just left of center on the scale. This means I also have important extroversion needs. Yes, I love being with friends, family and small groups of people. It feeds my soul. As for the introvert part, I now recognize having the balance of significant alone time is crucial to my overall sense of well being. I think of it as important time to pause, reflect, and process all that I’ve taken in when I’m with other people.

Perhaps, by sharing this photo, I’m also taking you behind the curtain and helping you to understand what makes this artist tick. Maybe I’m also sharing this to prompt you to ask similar questions about

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in The Artistic Journey / Black & White / Personal musings 10 comments
 by Jed

Faces of the Venice Fish Market

Octopus, Italywise

Piovra – © Jed Smith 2017

Last Thursday we packed a small overnight bag, and took the twenty-five minute train ride from Treviso to Venice’s Santa Lucia train station. We’d found a great last minute deal at the Palazzetto Madonna, a fairly new four-star hotel in San Polo.  We found it on hotels.com, our new favorite source for accommodations worldwide. I’d been wanting, for several weeks, to give myself a photo assignment at Venice’s fish market, called La Pescheria di Rialto since it’s at the northwest corner of the Rialto bridge.

Faces richly etched with character abound at the Venice fish market.

As I write this, I realize what an understatement it is. I hit the jackpot of photo opps. I hope you’ll agree as you see just four of my favorite images taken during this recent excursion.

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in Photography Posts 21 comments
 by Jed

It’s Simply a Matter of Perspective

Wrought-iron railings adorn the bridges of Venice and provide unique views of the canals.

Wrought-iron railings adorn the bridges of Venice and provide unique views of the canals.

I’m in heaven when I’m meandering through the confusing and mysterious streets, alleyways, and canals in Venice. I can’t imagine ever tiring of the discoveries every one of my journeys there yields – especially when I change my perspective. The world transforms.

Early on in life, when I was a mere teenager beginning to plumb the depths of creative possibilities, my dear artist mother began teaching me about the power of perspective. With me, and with her other students I always marveled out how she could coax, so adeptly, a person from a rigid way of seeing things to a different perspective. Suddenly the world would take on new life. And, well before a camera became my regular companion, Momma Liz taught me how to use my hands to create a makeshift viewfinder. I’m fortunate this was part of my early training, because it has stayed with me ever since.

I’ve chosen the photo above because, for me it demonstrates a completely different vantage point – one that came about by moving from my usual perspective and being willing to reposition myself. Often times this means getting out of my comfort zone – literally and figuratively.

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in Black & White / Personal musings 11 comments
 by Jed

May the Stars of Possibility Light Your Way

Stars in Treviso, Italywise

My extraordinary artistic mother lit the fuse of my imagination.

My brilliant engineering father taught me how to construct a plan and a path towards making something happen.

I am indeed fortunate that such beautifully intertwined influences (and gene pools) came together to create this being called Jed Smith (and my two enormously talented sisters). Though Liz and Ed already have taken flight from this earthly realm, they remain the two brightest stars illuminating my path and the journey towards an endless world of possibility.

Last evening, a stroll through the magically lit streets and alleyways of Treviso prompted this realization. I was overcome with gratitude, and my subsequent meanderings through the city left me contemplating the following questions:

Just who and what are the numerous stars that illuminate your path?

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in My Life in Italy / Personal musings / Reflections on the Journey 20 comments
 by Jed

What Are Your Intentions for the Journey?

Abruzzo, Italywise

Photo by Jed Smith ©2016

I’ve been staring at a blank page (for this week’s post), and a blank canvas (for my next painting). Both are usually intimidating, and I still can’t quite get over asking myself “Do I have it in me to do this again?”

I certainly hope so. But, as I start any new creative endeavor, I’m learning to ask myself a very important, and helpful, question: “What are your intentions?” And, even though this post is written with an artist’s perspective, I do believe this question can be a valuable tool in all areas of life.

I picked the featured photo in this post because, for me, it aptly represents moving through life with intention and purpose. When I’m cruising into my nineties (yes, I plan on living that long) I want to be able to look back on my life, and say that I didn’t shrink from heading into the metaphorical mountainous terrain of life and the wilderness of the unknown.

I also want to know that I didn’t move through my life unconsciously. I want to have lived life with passion and intention.

So here I am, solidly past my half-century mark, and challenging myself to spend more time checking in with my heart (not my head) to understand if my intentions will result in a life of authenticity.

Some of the questions I pose to myself are:

Am I doing this for love?

This one’s the mother of all questions. You know why? Because I think many of us are taught to feel a tad (or a lot) guilty when we’re able to do something for the pure love of it. Which leads me to the next question….

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in Black & White / Personal musings / Reflections on the Journey 4 comments
 by Jed

Introducing The Net – A New Painting by Jed Smith

Jed Smith, Italywise

The Net, oil on canvas, by Jed Smith ©2016

I’m excited to unveil my recent labor of love, with the current working title of The Net. This is my second oil painting to-date, previously having focused most of my painting career on watercolors. I love both mediums, but working in oil is expanding my horizons, and my ability to work on a much larger scale. This painting is approximately 40″ x 60″, and took at least a year and four months to complete. Mind you, if I had been working on this non-stop I would have completed it much sooner. I decided to live and paint by the Italian credo of “piano, piano” – which means “slowly, slowly”. In other words, be patient!

This new Jed Smith work of art was inspired by a scene of everyday life in the rich and colorful fishing village of Burano, Italy. If you’re not familiar with Burano, it’s a 30 minute vaporetto ride from the Fondamenta Nuove stop in Venice. It’s well worth your attentions if you find yourself in Venice.

I’ve made a promise to myself to not explain or intellectualize why I choose a particular subject matter. I believe that would only get in the way of the viewer experiencing the work without being unduly influenced. With that said, I’ll leave you to contemplate this latest work. Meanwhile, I am moving a new, large, blank canvas to my easel. A new subject has been chosen – one that will provide a dramatically different perspective. Stay tuned….

To see this and other paintings, be sure to visit my online gallery.

I’d love for you to become a direct subscriber to Italywise.com. It’s easy. Just enter your email in the upper right column (or bottom of the page on a tablet). You’ll receive a confirmation email, and then future blog posts will land directly in your in-box!

 

in Uncategorized / Exploring the Veneto / Paintings Posts 20 comments
 by Jed

In the Face of a Sheep

Abruzzo, Italywise

 

My recent sojourn with shepherds, goats and sheep in the stunning Apennines mountains of the Parco Nazionale della Majella of Abruzzo left me musing about what I had learned about myself while communing with the flock.

On the day of the journey, we had arrived early morning at Nunzio Marcelli’s La Porta dei Parchi agriturismo, a good forty-five minutes before the trek up the mountains was to commence. I wandered around the property, first stopping to observe the goats being milked (an upcoming post). The shepherd dogs were lounging about, getting their last respite before a full day’s work, while staying faithfully close to their charges, who were safely contained in pens. It was then that I captured the photo featured in this post, and this singular, arresting face of a sheep. Only later, when I was doing my editing, did I realize the reason the image resonated with me so much…

I saw myself in the face of that sheep.

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in Uncategorized / Abruzzo / Black & White / Personal musings 11 comments
 by Jed

Finding Respite in a Shepherd’s Journey in Abruzzo

abruzzo, Italywise

A Shepherd’s Journey

As most of you know, I recently had the good fortune to go on a “walkabout” with shepherds in the majestic Apennines in Abruzzo. This is the fourth in a series of photos that chronicle my experience. As I perused the multitude of images to choose one for this post, this one leaped out at me.

I’ve spent quite a bit of time contemplating this special experience in Abruzzo, the area just above the heel of the boot of Italy. It was a dream opportunity for a photographer. And, it was a golden opportunity to escape the madding crowd of relentless digital and media onslaught to which we fall prey on a daily basis. I confess I’ve willingly allowed myself, all too often, to be sucked into this vortex of distraction, and angst. Yes, angst. I believe it would take a supremely enlightened being to deflect the anxiety-inducing effects of the

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in Abruzzo / Black & White / Personal musings 21 comments