Painting the town...Burano Venice, Italy

There are beautiful towns, buildings and laundry lines everywhere. Burano stands out among them all. For a painter, a colorist, and someone who still hangs their laundry,the beauty of Burano can be overwhelming. Located far in the Venetian lagoon, this was a the quiet island of lace makers and fisher men. The homes are painted in bright colors to be visible fishermen coming in from the sea through the fog. In sunny weather, the island dazzles.

I have been painting and documenting the laundry lines here since 1998. My last trip in June 2010 was nostalgic, as Burano experiences changes. Burano is now on a major tourist vaporetto stop. The Buranese women have begun to move their laundry lines to backside court yards and side alleys. The front of their colorful homes are now decorated with flower boxes. It's beautiful but generic.So in my new laundry line series of Buarno here I have included ,corners, back courtyards where laundry is now found. To the women of Burano who still hang their laundry in the front of their homes I say "grazie mille".

The painting above of a back courtyard and neglected back doors was rich for its decrepit but lush and layered textures. And still the meager laundry lines stood out and called to me.