"Southern France," Study after Andre Derain

Another "Study For My Study," Andre Derain's Southern France, was also found in my copy of "Thousand Masterpieces" by Sister Wendy and inspired me to see what I could learn from doing a study of it (The colors also go well with my decor!) These are great learning experiences for me. I really wanted to see what it would be like to do a landscape without getting all stressed by the details as I am prone to do. This was thoroughly enjoyable and I had a much greater appreciation for the artist as I tried to understand why he made the decisions he did in painting it. When I first saw it, I didn't really like the white, blossoming trees; but as I progressed, I understood why they needed to be that color for the interest of the overall composition. I'm hoping that this study helped me loosen up a little so that when I do my own landscape in the future I can apply what I've learned.

24"x36" oil on canvas, collection the artist

Progress On Study After Fragonard

I thought some of you might like to see how I progress with a portrait. This one is a little different since I am painting it after a master painting by Fragonard that has already been done (see earlier posting). I'm very happy with the first layer of color, but there is still a long way to go. I'm not sure why Fragonard decided to do such a "cartoon-y" looking hand holding the book(at least from my point of view). I'm not sure if I will leave it or paint it in my own style. The other issue I'm debating about is whether I will settle for it being a representation of J. with her as the model for the girl or whether I will go ahead and try to make it look like her (it really doesn't yet). If I decide on the latter, it will likely mean 6-7 more layers in trying to achieve that likeness. Next time you see it, it will be done!