Behind the Mask: My Vision for Mascherata

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When I stood at the easel to begin Mascherata, I wasn't interested in simply painting a picture of a mask. Anyone can do that. I wanted to paint the feeling of a Venetian ballroom—the rustle of silk, the whispered secrets, and that strange, intoxicating power you feel when you're looking at the world from behind a disguise.

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Venice has always held a certain grip on my imagination. It’s a city built on water and mirrors, where the line between reality and theater is perpetually blurred. In Mascherata, I wanted to tap into the heritage of the Carnevale. I kept thinking about the Bauta and the Colombina—not as objects, but as silhouettes. I wanted to capture those sweeping, porcelain curves and the sharp, almost predatory angles of the beaked masks, and then shatter them across the canvas.

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My process is always a bit of a dance between spontaneity and structure.

• The Palette: I reached for the colors of the Republic—regal crimsons, deep violets, and, of course, a lot of gold. I used gold not just for decoration, but to catch the light, making the painting shift and change as you walk past it, much like a person moving through a crowded room.

• The Texture: You’ll see areas where the paint is thick and aggressive—that’s the energy of the party. But then I’ve layered in these translucent glazes, thin enough to see the "ghosts" of earlier marks underneath. To me, that represents the layers of history in Venice and the layers of identity we all carry.

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For me, this piece is about the liberation of anonymity. When you put on a mask, you don't just hide who you are; you reveal a different truth. The abstract forms in Mascherata are meant to invite you in to find your own shapes. One person might see a face; another might see the wake of a gondola in a dark canal.

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I didn't want to give the viewer all the answers. I wanted to create a visual masquerade where the "truth" of the painting is hidden in plain sight, tucked away behind the gold leaf and the rhythmic brushstrokes. It’s a celebration of the theatrical, the mysterious, and the eternal allure of the unknown.