Roses by Vincent Van Gogh: Session 6

{my setup}

When I began this session there was a tour of children with a guide and some parents in the same gallery as me. They were there looking at the new Van Gogh acquisition. While I was setting up I chatted with them about the copyist program and the reason why copying a painting is so valuable.

To me the most valuable result of the experience is how it enables me to really get into the mind of the artist. I have to think about how they created something, figure out the sequencing of the steps, and constantly compare their work to what I am coming up with.

Essentially it is learning through reverse engineering. Something that is proven to work and in my opinion it is one of the best ways to minimizing the time required to master a specific technique.

{at the beginning of the sixth session}

{in the middle of the sixth session}

{end of sixth session}

With each copy I have completed, I feel as if I make gigantic leaps forward in my comprehension of how to create expressive artwork.

With this painting, Roses by Vincent Van Gogh, I am really learning the important of value and color temperature. How these two characteristics to paint application is so important in creating a sense of dimensional space on a 2-D picture plane.

When I copied, Jan Davidsz de Heem’s Vase of Flowers, I learned a ton about painting with layers of glaze. With this Dutch still-life painting, I also learned how to disconnect my time-oriented thinking from my creative-lose-track-of-time painting brain. It was with this painting that I learned the value of slowing down to really see what is in front of me.

And now with this Van Gogh, I am learning how to see and make decisive decisions in this alla prima method of painting.