Stick a fork in it! (it's done!) Lackawanna Valley, Day 7

Well, today was my last day to work on this painting. I could definitely have worked on it longer (some copyists work on copies for MONTHS), but I have a rather short attention span, don't love tiny details, and really don't care about getting an exact copy. It felt done enough to me, so I put in some finishing touches and called it done.

Here is how it looked when I broke for lunch:

I worked on the roundhouse, making it a bit smaller and correcting the shape, and I worked on the trees on the right. I also moved the buildings and smokestack above those trees.

After lunch, I worked more on the fences, tree stumps, and foreground, and I put in some tiny details (cows) in the middle ground pasture. I also painted in all the smoke and the tiny covered wagon and people on the road. I worked right up to the last minute I was allowed to paint today (4:00), and felt good about declaring this one done. (I don't know why the color is so different in these two photos, but I think the second one may be more accurate.)

I'm going to request an early Monet for my next copy - an outdoor figure painting of his friend Bazille and his wife Camille. Stay tuned!

Back to work! The Lackawanna Valley, Day 6!

I wasn't at the Gallery the past two weeks, between having to deliver a painting to a show on a Tuesday morning, and my son Alex being home on Spring Break last week - I didn't want to be gone all day while he was here. But I went back today. What gorgeous weather! What a difference from two days ago, when it was pouring snow!

Here is my progress for today - I painted in the tree, sketchily, and started "dirtying up" my greens, which were too bright and garish.

Here is how it was when I broke for lunch.

After lunch, I continued to work on the tree and started putting detail into the woods in the middle distance on the left. I worked on the train and the fences. I tried to make the figure a little smaller. I put the tree stumps in. Worked on the fences some. Then I got tired, so I quit around 2:30. I still want to work on the wooded area on the far right, and fix the roundhouse - it's too big. I think one more day and I'll call this one done.