I've started catching an earlier express bus in to DC, because the last bus of the morning, at 8:35, often doesn't show. So I'm now getting the 8:15, which takes the express lanes and gets me close to the National Gallery (6 blocks away) in about 35 minutes. (By contrast, I used to take the Metro, which after a 25-minute drive to the nearest station takes 45 minutes to get there.) The gallery doesn't open until 10, so I walked to a coffee shop and enjoyed a cup of coffee before walking to the NGA. This morning was partly sunny and beautiful after many days of rain. I took this picture from the bus as we crossed the Potomac from Virginia. Memorial Bridge is in the distance and the Lincoln Memorial is visible on the left. Washington is such a beautiful city, and that's one of the things I really enjoy about going in to copy every week.
The cherry blossoms are over, but the bleachers from the festival remain along Constitution Avenue.
After my coffee, I arrived at the NGA just in time for the doors to open. This brave squirrel really wanted me to give him a treat.
After getting my permit renewed, which we must do every month, I got to work right away on Madame David. I worked steadily for about 2 1/2 hours on her face, hat, and parts of her dress. There was still something wrong with the mouth, but it was time for lunch.
After a shorter than usual lunch with my copyist buddies, I spent some time working on her mouth, hands and right arm. We don't have to stop copying until 4:00, but by 3:15 I suddenly realized I was very tired and it was time to stop. Here is how the painting looked at the end of the day.
I still have a ways to go. I don't have her expression quite right. To me, the expression on her face in David's painting is much more animated than I've managed to get. When I look at the original, I see David's wife, feeling a little self-conscious (you can see the tension in the muscles below her mouth as she tries to maintain a pleasant expression,) but she looks as though she's really tickled to be posing for her husband, a famous portrait painter, whom she loves. I don't know if I'll be able to catch that - I think I need to make her eyes smile more - but it's fun to try. I'd like to get into painting portraits, and copying from a master like David is a great way to learn and practice. Now I just have to find somebody willing to sit for me!
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