Liz Chalfin and Sheldon Carroll traveled to Venice, Italy for three weeks in February – March 2020 (sandwiched between Carnivale an Covid 19) as part of an artist-in-residence exchange with the Scuola Internazionale de Grafica.

The inspiration for these photo etchings were the faces of the hundreds of keystones, which adorn the bridges and walkways of Venice.  These mascaroni protect the citizens of Venice from the devil who might rise from the depths of the canals.  Folklore tells of the vulnerability of humans at every crossroads where a decision is made.  The mascaroni are there on the bridges and alleys to scare off these malevolent intruders.  For Chalfin and Carroll these stone faces felt like the eyes of the city, gazing down upon the residents and visitors, watching history unfold over the centuries.