For the past 10 years, she has been living in İstanbul and filling sketchbooks with amazingly intricate plein aire drawings of her adopted city and beyond. The drawings each take anywhere from two to 15 hours to complete. With her unique flair, she often combines faces into the landscapes, creating links between past and present.
Venola's first published collection of drawings, "Drawing on Istanbul," has quickly become a much sought after souvenir by tourists, as well as locals, who want a more creative and personal reminder of their time spent exploring the treasures of İstanbul.
Now, for the first time, her art is on public display at İstanbul's Java Studio. This is a rare chance to view a selection of some of her 2,000 pieces of work. This is not an exhibit that one can quickly glance through. Instead, each piece draws the viewer in, leading the eyes from one tiny, exquisite detail to the next. These are frozen images in time, some seamlessly combining modern and ancient to create a current perspective of the country.
The show runs through March 31. This inspiring and thought-provoking exhibition gives us a chance to see the many details of life around us that we miss out on. For anyone who loves art, architecture, history or Turkey, this is a must-see show.
Java Studio offers up the finest coffees, teas and other refreshments in the heart of İstanbul's Sultanahmet neighborhood. Firmly committed to education, 20 percent of all proceeds from art sales go toward supporting children's education in the community.
Java Studio: Cankurtaran Mah., Dalbastı Sokak No. 13, Sultanahmet
Phone: 0 (212) 517 2378
Web site: www.javastudioistanbul.com
