On Holiday Aperitivo II, 2025
By Kristen Coates
11"H × 9"W
Acrylic on gallery-wrapped canvas
Signed and dated on reverse
Painted as part of my On Holiday series, Aperitivo II celebrates one of my favorite rituals of travel: the quiet hour before dinner, when a simple table, good conversation, and a glass in hand become enough.
Rendered with loose, expressive brushwork against a warm ochre ground, the painting transforms an ordinary still life into something theatrical. A bottle, two glasses, a cigarette resting in an ashtray, framed fish, and a very familiar three sardines painting on the wall evoke the atmosphere of a neighborhood trattoria somewhere along the Italian coast.
The composition isn't intended as a literal place but rather as a memory of one. It's about slowing down, lingering a little longer, and finding beauty in the rituals that make travel feel deeply lived rather than simply visited.
Small in scale but full of personality, this painting is wonderful displayed on a bookshelf, layered into a gallery wall, or tucked into an unexpected corner where it can quietly bring warmth and charm to a space.
