Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Copyist at the National Gallery of Art

Dutch, 1606 - 1683/1684
Vase of Flowers, c. 1660


At the beginning of the summer with the help of a good friend, a former professor, a former boss, and a few current art instructors, Danni Dawson, Kurt Schwarz, and Robert Liberace, I began the application process to be a copyist at the National Gallery of Art (NGA) here in DC. They all kindly provided letters of reference for me, and I am eternally thankful for their effort, as I know this is going to be a great learning experience.

Monday was my first day at it, and I chose the de Heem painting above as my first painting to copy. Here is a photo of where I was at the end of the day. By 4pm I was dog tired and admitting to myself that I had bitten off more than I can chew, especially as I cannot see all the detail of the painting because we are required to stand 4 feet away from the painting… This is by far the most complicated painting I have ever attempted! Danni is always encouraging me to slow down and really observe what I see, so hopefully this painting will teach me to have the patience required to complete a painting with this much detail.


Week 1: Vase of Flowers by Jan Davidsz de Heem

{my setup in Gallery 50}


So for the next several weeks, I will be going to the NGA to paint and I will share my progress with you, or lack of it…

Have a wonderful evening, Liz

10 comments:

Virginia Floyd said...

What a wonderful opportunity for you to learn! Is it intimidating to have people wandering by and observing you at work? I'll be looking forward to seeing what you accomplish.

LindaHunt said...

Brave...incredible detail which it looks like you did very well! Looking forward to the next week.

Marian MacKerer said...

Looks like a great start! I'm sure you will do a wonderful job. The painting to the right of de Heem's is my all time favorite. everytime i go to NGA i visit Willem Claesz Heda's "Banquet Piece with Mince Pie". Have fun!

eLIZabeth Floyd said...

Hi Virginia :) So far it is not intimidating having people wandering around me, I listen to music and books on tape while painting so am able to keep in my own little world...

eLIZabeth Floyd said...

Thanks Linda, the painting still has a ways to go, I just blocked in the main color masses on the first day to get the proportion right.

eLIZabeth Floyd said...

Hi Marian! The Willem Claesz Heda's painting is one of my favorites also :)

Unknown said...

Good luck keep at it

ale balanzario said...

Hola Elizbeth,
Qué bello, va muy bien tu cuadro y tu carrera, qué buena oportunidad de pintar y aprender de los grandes maestros. Muy bien por tí!!

Un abrazo.
Ale

eLIZabeth Floyd said...

Thanks Carmarthen Artist :)

eLIZabeth Floyd said...

Hola Ale,

Yo quiero aprender mucho cada semana :)