Josie, Naxos, Greece
This is a painting of Josie walking through a covered passage somewhere in the labyrinthine streets of Naxos Town on the island of Naxos in Greece. The streets twist their way upwards from the port to the still-standing walls of the Venetian castle looming above. The architecture combines typical whitewashed Cycladic buildings with occasional remnants from the Venetian occupation, which officially ended in 1537.
In 2023 we enjoyed getting lost in the streets and stumbling across the small shops and restaurants hidden within. Many businesses there target tourists, but there are also places serving locals, and some of the area still has a scruffy photogenic character.
For this painting, I decided to use a very limited palette: everything was rendered using only white, aquamarine blue, and burnt umber. Blacks were obtained by mixing the blue and umber, and then lightened with white to create the cool and warm greys and beiges.