My teabag art for the day - a gondolier we saw carrying goods across the canal in Venice. Venice is one of my very favorite places. I love it there.
I wanted to paint from a different photo we had taken of us riding in a Gondola in Venice at night but my skill set just isn't good enough to paint something at night to depict all of the lights and reflections - sooo... had to pick a different photo.
This was a used teabag primed with clear gesso and painted with watercolor and gouache. Details added with a permanent black ink pen.
History of the gondolier: driving an Italian gondola has always been very much a "closed shop". The gondolier's licence used to be passed from father to son, or if there was no son, to another male family member.
These days it's even more difficult. Every gondolier must belong to the thousand-year-old Gondolier's Guild which is strictly controlled.
He must find an experienced gondola driver to act as mentor, attend four hundred house of instruction, and later pass a rigorous examination which tests not only physical endurance but navigational skills, knowledge of other langages and, most importantly, knowledge of Venice's culture and sights.
