John Michael Venezia, 55, of Colorado Springs, Colorado passed away May 9, 2022.

A Colorado Springs resident his entire life, John was born to John and Sheila Venezia on June 9, 1966. He was a graduate of St. Mary’s High School and attended Colorado State University. John was a stalwart artist in the Colorado and Manitou Springs art communities, most recently at Cottonwood Center for the Arts. A lifelong artist, John created thousands of yards of hand-painted silk pieces of wearable and fine art, as well as numerous pencil drawn still-lifes, landscapes and portraits. John had as diverse of a group of friends as he did interests, from attending the Pikes Peak Range Ride with his father and brothers; to Zumba; to volunteering at Concrete Couch where he taught an artist trading cards class and a silk dying class for the FAB LAB program; attending countless fundraisers and supporting his fellow artists. He valued friendship and personal relationships above all else and loved sharing in the passions and interests of his friends. The vast amount of people who were touched by John’s kind spirit are already feeling the void of his encouraging words, humorous anecdotes, and studio updates. John’s family would encourage anyone reading this to buy a piece of art from a living artist in his memory, order the strangest thing on the menu and keep chasing the light.

John is survived by his mother, Sheila; brothers, Dean (Dawn) and Daniel; sisters, Rosemarie and Kathleen; his nieces and nephews, Maddie, Megan, Dean and John, whom he loved dearly, will keep up the bad jokes in his absence. John adored his numerous relatives who stretch from Colorado to Pennsylvania, New York, Florida, Arkansas and beyond. Visitation will be at Swan Law on Tuesday May 17, 2022 from 5pm to 8pm and Funeral will be at St. Marys Cathedral on Wednesday May 18, 2022. Donations can be made to Concrete Couch, 702 East Boiulder Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80903