Mark Venaglia
Botanical
Paintings
Commission a portrait of your prized blooms from the artist who “has transformed Botanical Illustration into Portraiture and Magic Realism.”
-Dr. Vartan Gregorian, NYC Public Library President, Late 20th Century
“I paint a flower from the perspective of a bee or butterfly. To insects, the petals and stamen of each bloom appear as the
rolling hills and canyons of a landscape.” - Mark Venaglia
In Amsterdam 1637 one tulip bulb would purchase all of the following: 4 ox, 12 sheep, 24 tons of wheat, 2 tons of butter, 4 barrels of beer, one thousand pounds of cheese, a silver drinking cup, an oak bed and a ship.
From “Tulipomania”
by Mike Dash.
“…One salutes his command of large formats
with opulent floral images.
A viewer doesn’t only observe and behold Mark’s flowers, one actually encounters them. To meet a flower in this show is to be seized… and to accept it’s near-humanity.
In as much as the finest portraits of humans possess a visual endowment of spirit and life to be considered a cultural experience, so do Mark’s floral images.”
-Maria Pavlovich-McCarthy The Connecticut Art Review
Contemporary Trompe L’oeil by Mark Venaglia.
Above: “Edible Flowers, Box One”
At right: “Edible Flowers, Box Two”
Casein Fresco on muslin 8” x 14”
Acquisition: $5,750. for each original work of art.
“La Nonna” 7’ x 5’ Casein on muslin s o l d
“Pastures” Casein Fresco on muslin 4’ x 5’ s o l d
“Helioscape” 3’ x 4’ Casein Fresco on muslin $10,000.
“La Porta” 24” x 24” Casein Fresco on paper $3500.
Mark Venaglia PreGoogleMap Landscapes
In 1992, before ever viewing Google maps’ sweeping topographical technology, I became dedicated to synthesizing floral and landscape paintings. Employing a 300 year old technology we call painting currently provides the Google geography experience. That obsession continues in 2013...
Above - a series of three organic paintings, each piece originated with puddles of 100% organic henna from fruits and vegetables blown across the canvas surface, by the artist, through a straw. Casein Fresco was then applied and ground mica chips suspended in a clear acrylic binder. The illusion of dimension fluctuates a great deal due to the use of opaque and iridescent materials as the viewer moves about the room.
“Heroic Optimist” 16”x 20” $3,900.
"Language, Thought and Action" 16”x 20” $3,900.
“In the Realm of the Subliminal" 16”x 20” $3,900.
“EcoMotion” 4’ x 5’
Casein Fresco on canvas $75,000.
left: detail of wing
s o l d
