Artist With Extreme Wanderlust “Travels” by Painting Architecture Found Online

Venice, Italy

While many people with wanderlust like to visit sites around the world vicariously through online photos, Instagram user horiaki2 takes it a step further. Rather than just look at the photos, the up-and-coming artist prefers to paint them.

With a focus on architecture and an eye for meticulous detail, horiaki2 creates intricate studies of landmarks and buildings from cities all over the globe.Each delicate piece is composed of sketch-like lines and a classic combination of subtle pastel tones and bright pops of color. Based in Japan, the artist recreates any scenes outside of the country by working entirely from found images. “Pictures in Japan are those of places I have been to,” horiaki2 reveals in a roughly translated comment. “Foreign paintings are drawn looking at pictures. In the future I would like to travel around the world and sketch.”

While each architectural study is rendered in the artist’s signature style, they still comprise a diverse series. Some of the subjects, like the recognizable dome of Venice’s Santa Maria della Salute and the towering cupolas of Paris’ Sacre Couer, are monumental. Others, like a quiet Quebec street and a row of colorful colonial homes in Washington DC, are more intimate. And, of course, many are in between, including views of busy streets and peeks of public squares.

Eventually, Horiaki2 hopes to be able to ditch the photographs and travel the world. In the meantime, you can keep up with the artist’s progress and join in creative wanderlust on Instagram.