No this isn't a painting I've done recently. In fact it's pretty darn old. Probably 8 or 9 years old actually. But the reason I'm putting it up today, is because last week I had the extreme pleasure to see the original Monet painting at the Legion of Arts Museum in San Francisco.
I know! Imagine my surprise. I had no idea it was there, and the crazy thing is I almost missed it. It was the very last room we went in, and it we had almost skipped that section earlier by accident. Thank goodness we didn't.!
Now I have to admit, that most of the artwork at the museum didn't ring any bells for me. I know. I'm supposed to appreciate all that fine art, and I do! I totally appreciate all the work and details they put into each painting. How they are able to make them so realistic looking is beyond me. I will never be able to do that. It's just that the subject matter is not my cup of tea. Loads of dead animals, and religious paintings. Plus everything is in browns, blacks and grey. Um. I love color. So yeah it was a teensy bit drab for me.
The truth is, I don't really start digging Fine Art until we start getting into the impressionistic period. That's more up my ally. Something about not being too detailed, the use of color, and more interesting subject matter.
Anyhoo, Monet is my favorite artist from that period, and back when I was just venturing into the painting world, I used a lot of his paintings as subject matter. Like I said the painting above is one of my favorites. It really caught my eye, and I set out to duplicate it.
Well, as you can see, I didn't exactly make it identical to his. Obviously my love for bright color came through loud and clear, (the original is very pastel) plus I don't do the whole little brushstroke/dot things that impressionists did.
However, I do like this painting a lot, even though it's not at all my style anymore. I probably wouldn't make anything like this again, but at the time I thought it was the bees knees. I like it so much I made an oil pastel of it too, which actually came out better I think, but unfortunately I don't have a picture of it.
So, since I don't have any recent artwork finished other than a ton of backgrounds I made for my art journal, (playing with water crayons and gesso, so much fun!), I thought I would pay a tribute to the artist that started it all, and show you guys this painting from way back when.
Oh so much to say so late at night when my brain is a bit weary but I'll give it a shot (forgive typos and nonsensical jibberish!)
ReplyDeleteYour painting is stunning! You have a color palate that is so striking and vibrant and exciting and tempting to get lost in! This piece is exquisite!
So glad you got to see some original and famous art. I studied art history for almost 5 years and I swear it zaps all the allure right out of it. I agree, kinda lost my taste for dead animals, cupids on robust shoulders (okay maybe not cupids on robust shoulders), battle scenes, and religious scare-the-pants-off-ya art. I do admire the talent and skill and its importance in the world but . . . Then again, someday someone will be saying how dry our art is too! hee hee Yeah, the Impressionists amaze me too - especially Seurat for some reason. The DaDa-ists and Surrealists hooked me though. mmmm, love figuring them out.
Anyway, love your work and your glorious take on Monet! Yummy!
Darn it! Got so caught up in your post and work I forgot to tell you thank you for putting the campaign graphic up on your sidebar! It means so much. We all learn and share and even mimic each others styles and ideas, but we want to just get the word out that out and out downloading and reusing another colleague's work without permission is not what art is about. So thank you, thank you for helping the cause. It makes a difference!
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