Tsawwassen's John Horton's latest exhibit focuses on Venice, Italy.
The marine artist, who included both historic and modern day pieces in the show, says he tried to portray the city in a slightly different light.
"What I tried to show is the working Venice. There are some paintings which have working vessels," he says. "It's not just all gondolas."
The exhibit, Horton's Venice - Yesterday and Today, opens on Dec. 1 at a gallery in Victoria.
Horton spent just over a week in Venice in 2009 to gather sketch material and do research.
"I spent as much time as I could on the water," he says.
Venice, a very popular tourist destination that's also known as the City of Water, is built on an archipelago and connected by bridges. Horton describes the paintings in the exhibit as a "complete 180" from his normal work but that he was pleasantly surprised how it all turned out.
Horton studied at an art school, spent time in the Royal Navy and worked as a designer and architectural artist before coming to Vancouver in the mid1960s. He's a member of the Canadian Society of Marine Artists.
Horton also painted three of six historic paintings that depicted the Canadian Navy's recent 100-year anniversary.
Horton's Venice - Yesterday and Today runs from Dec. 1 to 21 at Winchester Galleries in Victoria. For more on the show, visit www.winchestergalleriesltd.com.
To see more of Horton's artwork, visit www.johnhorton.ca.
dwillis@delta-optimist.com
