"Take Your Choice", day 7, final

I decided that today was going to be my last day on this copy. Because of my work schedule and the way federal holidays have fallen on my copying days (every other Friday), it's taken me several months to get to this point - day 7 on this painting. 

Even though I see things wrong with parts of the drawing (some books are the wrong proportions) and areas of color and value (my copy seems darker/lighter/different, etc...), I just said to myself, Oh Well, and went ahead and put in as much detail as I could (nails, dirt, bits of torn paper and labels) and that's it for this copy! I'm ready to move on.

(click the images for a larger view)

I did have fun painting this! I guess I'm a realist at heart. And it was fun painting the sorts of books that I see in the donation bin at the library on a daily basis!

My next copy is going to be "The Mill in Winter", by Edward Willis Redfield. It was recently acquired when the National Gallery absorbed the Corcoran's collection.

This is a large painting, 50"x56", and Redfield painted it on site in one day! I'm going to stretch a 32"x36" canvas, which is the same proportions, but comes in at an acceptable size (the National Gallery doesn't allow your copy to be more than 40" without special permission.) It's fortunate that the dimensions came out to an even size that isn't too small.

This wintry picture feels fitting for this time of year. I have painted outdoors in winter a couple of times (once when it was 15 degrees with a 20-mile-per-hour wind!), and it's a real challenge! I'll be thinking of that while I am copying this painting, warm and cozy in the National Gallery. I hope to start it in four weeks. See you then.

"Take Your Choice", day 6

What with my full-time work schedule, a trip to Chicago, and a couple of Fridays that fell on non-copying days (Veterans Day and the day after Thangsgiving), I haven't been able to make it back to the National Gallery in over two months. I was thinking today might be my last day on this copy, but I didn't get very far, so I'll have to continue it a little longer.

It was a brisk walk from the train station to the National Gallery in the cold morning of a beautiful day in DC

I worked from 10:30 to 12:30, putting in some important details, such as the letters on the paper on the front of the box, and adjusting the values and colors around the painting. I also put in the details on the cover of the orange book.

After lunch, I decided I was tired and just cleaned up. I will continue putting in details next Friday. I am not interested in making an exact copy, and once it gets to be burdensome, I want to stop. I'm pretty satisfied with it as is. People often tell me "I like yours better!" because mine is brighter and more modern looking (also because people are nice!) That's because I'm not really "making a copy", I'm "copying". I enjoy the process of copying in the same way as I enjoy the process of painting landscapes and still lifes from life. I'm not making an exact duplicate, but just doing the best I can, based on my own personal and limited perception of what I am looking at, and my ability to translate that perception into a painted image.

Here's a picture I took just before leaving the National Gallery - peeking out a window toward the East Wing. Every little detail of these buildings is so striking and beautiful.

One more photo of the Capitol on my way to the train - still a bright, sunny, breezy, cold day. There's nothing to compare to the National Mall with all of its FREE museums! I am so lucky to have a great reason to come down here every couple of weeks!