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mellino1974@sbcglobal.net www.mellinophotography.com
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"IMAGES" PHOTOGRAPHIC ART GALLERY
Newsletter
August 2018
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| Dear friends, Welcome to my "PHOTOBLOG" Newsletter, a monthly publication which is being sent to clients and friends, to keep them updated on my current photographic interests, new works and future developments. My goal is to format the Newsletter around a short series of images, which I will try to describe briefly, so that important or interesting details will be easily available to the viewer. Most of the imagery displayed here will also be on view at " IMAGES" Photographic Art Gallery, located at 14406 Detroit Avenue in beautiful Downtown Lakewood,and I would be happy to extend to all an invitation to stop by sometime for a visit. As always, I will appreciate your comments and suggestions pertaining to my work, and, should you enjoy these images, please feel free to share the"PHOTOBLOG" with friends and others as well; anyone interested in my work could be easily added to my distribution list by contacting me at mellino1974@sbcglobal.net
or
by visiting at www.mellinophotography.com.
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The August
"PHOTOBLOG" Newsletter will take you on a short "trip" with me around Venezia, with no doubt my favorite place in the all world...as a high school student I lived there for three years, then a cadet at the Italian Navy Military School "F. Morosini", and as most teenagers, I probably missed all the beauty and the unbelievable treasures surrounding us at any corner! However, going back to Venezia over the years, my affection for her and my amazement by not only her resiliency and character but more so by the splendor found often in the least expected sites have steadily grown. This City, so unique throughout the world, has had to deal with non-ending threats and challenges since her beginnings, yet she always finds ways to adapt and to re-emerge again unchanged yet "different"...
If you have visited Venezia, you might find some familiarity in these images; however, as I intentionally wandered away from the most travelled routes, you might ultimately discover little corners where the traditional still survives.
As always, thanks for looking, and...buon viaggio!
"My" Venezia!
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"My" Venezia!
As she slowly wakes up, with the night fog gradually dissipating, Venezia's Grand Canal is once again penetrated by a gigantic cruise ship, suddenly appearing at the mouth of the Laguna as a pair of tugboats skillfully maneuver her within the yet scarcely trafficked waters. This "giant of the seas" will slowly approach the now defenceless "Serenissima", as Venezia was once called, carrying its enormous human load, a blessing and at the same time possibly the ultimate cause of what might be the demise of one of mankind wonders...tourists will again invade St. Mark Square and its surrounding "calle", with their colorful guides hastily herding them towards endless gift shops filling the side walks around the "Riva degli Schiavoni" where once venetian ships came back from the Orient with unheard of treasures and exotic products. This IS the daily ritual endured here, in essence the only real engine of the local economy, almost exclusively based on tourism and related activities.
As I approach on foot the "Giardini", where the "Biennale" Modern Art Exhibition is primarily held, an unconventional sculpture welcomes me, while across the Canal the Isle of St. Giorgio is now clearly visible.
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Oh, the wonderful sight of a pair of "locals" trying their luck (or perhaps fighting the boredom of retirement) with a fishing rod! Venetian fish, when well prepared, is quite appetizing, and superb meals are often enjoyed at local trattorias, as long as away from the crowded scene...one such ristorante was finally reached as we walked over the bridge above, indeed "molto buono"!
"My" Venezia!
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Venetian house wives are very quick to hang their laundry outdoors as soon as a break in the often cloudy and rainy fall and winter weather occurs, using an old fashion but trustworthy pulley network connecting most buildings. These are relatively modest residential sections of Venezia, the only ones where the average working person can still afford to live, away from the touristic zones now mostly filled with expensive stores, restaurants and exclusive hotels. Yet, here is where you can still "breath and taste" the real Venezia, where, particularly on a pleasant, sunny afternoon, a long, quiet walk without a definite destination becomes a pleasure really hard to match! Indeed, the best way to get to know Venezia is to get LOST...and be surprised at every turn!
"My" Venezia!
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  Here we enter the "Arsenale", the very place where Venetians built their powerful and very sophisticated ships centuries ago, when their City and her sailors travelled and conquered so much of the known world. Marco Polo reached far regions in the Orient, with his trustworthy venetian fleets and experienced, fearless navigators; back home venetian engineers and craftsmen were very busy building stronger, faster and more powerful vessels, which most other nations quickly learned to fear and respect. The Italian Navy has a small base here today, mostly of historical interest, since the shipyard is no longer operational. However, as we had the opportunity to visit the site with a junior officer as our guide, we were not only amazed but also marveled at the technology and the expertise utilized in those days to accomplish what the "Doge" and the Admirals were requesting! "My" Venezia! |
 
A "wet" St. Marco Square, above, as seen from inside a vaporetto navigating the Canal Grande; below, a quiet, very lonely bridge late at night, as most visitors left or got to their hotel rooms...this is the best time to slowly take in the stunning beauty of this architectural marvel, alone with its waters, its silence only interrupted by the very occasional boat going by or by the steps of someone else being VERY late as I was!
"My" Venezia!
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A venetian masks shop along the "Mercerie", clearly set up to welcome the untold number of daily visitors "hungry" for a souvenir and a fleeting "selfie" opportunity with a couple of welcoming " ambassadors" awaiting, appropriately dressed, at the ferries drop off site...
"My" Venezia!
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 This is the very Church where Antonio Vivaldi worked as a music teacher and where he composed his wonderful sonatas...you'd close your eyes sitting down on a bench, and the music would magically be heard... and finally a canal hidden away and only traversed by the locals: very old buildings clearly showing the passage of time on their walls but still home to families and children, boats docked along the way, awaiting for the next trip somewhere...
" Lensworks" remains on view at "IMAGES" Art Gallery until the end of August...stop by for a relaxing view of much new imagery of Cleveland, the Lake, Florida and much more! The "Art Program" at North Olmsted has invited me to display photographic works for two months throughout City Hall; you will see an exciting selection of nature and waterscapes, mostly summery, in keeping with the current season. I am also being featured at the Farrell Foundation Gallery in Westlake (26633 Detroit Rd.) beginning July 30th with a "Floral Portraits" Exhibit...look for the "opening" invitation in your mail or on my Facebook pages. Finally, just got word that two of my entries to the Annual juried art exhibit sponsored by the Westlake-Westshore Art Council were juried in! The Show, which attracts works from many Cleveland professional artists will be on display throughout the Porter Library galleries in August...don't miss it if you have an opportunity to stop by next month. The annual juried Lakewood Festival of the Arts is around the corner...Saturday, August 4th Downtown will be filled with art and people...IMAGES Art Gallery will be open all day to welcome visitors, and in particular photography collectors, with lots of new imagery on display; we hope to see many of you then! To all my best wishes for a safe and pleasant summer season, Marcello. " IMAGES" Photographic Art Gallery 14406 Detroit Ave. Lakewood.
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