The Cradle, day 3

Today was a good day! Got a ride with Katie again (yay, Katie!) - riding in with her not only saves me money and time, but also energy. I get a nice walk from where she drops me off to the National Gallery, before the day gets hot, and I also get to take some nice photos on the way:

My walk down Pennsylvania Avenue takes me past the National Archives...

...and the Federal Trade Commission...

...and the Department of Labor...

...and finally to the National Gallery, right at 10 a.m., when the doors open.

Today I concentrated on the baby's face, and from there worked on Camille's face and hat, corrected the chair back, and painted in the three primary-colored things surrounding the baby - the blue bow, the red feathers on the rattle, and the yellow pinwheel. Also painted the curtains (?) above Camille. Still a ways to go, but I'm happy with the progress I've made. I'll probably have to repaint some of this again, but I feel it's getting closer. (click on the photos for a larger view.)

The Cradle - Day 2

Today was a good day! I got a ride in early with my wonderful friend Katie, and spent the time before the museum opened hanging out at Starbucks, where I was joined by two other early-arriving copyists. When 10:00 approached, the three of us trooped over to the National Gallery.

My gallery was quiet, and my easel was there (sometimes it isn't, and I have to wait for them to bring it to me.) So I got right to work, and had a very productive day, despite a nice, long lunch hour. My room got pretty crowded with lots of visitors, but somehow I had the energy to chat with people and still get a lot done. Around three I suddenly ran out of steam, so I stopped. A lot of paint went to waste, as usual.

Here is how it looked at the end of the day. (click for a larger view.)

I am trying to paint it in the order that Monet did (I can see which brush strokes are on top of other brush strokes!) I made some adjustments to Camille's head (I hadn't allowed enough room, and her head was too narrow,) but I can see that more adjustments are needed to the height of the chair back. It's otherwise coming along. I spent some time working of the folds in the fabric - fabric is a weakness of mine - I tend to lose my place in the folds and find that I haven't included some folds. But I think I've allowed for all of them now.

It's so exciting to me to copy Monet's work - he is one of my favorite painters, and is the Impressionist I like the best!