Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Week 2: Vase of Flowers by Jan Davidsz de Heem

For the past week I have been busy preparing for the upcoming Suffolk show {more to come after I deliver the paintings to the gallery} and then before I realized it Monday was upon me and it was time to return to the National Gallery of Art (NGA).

Week 2: Vase of Flowers by Jan Davidsz de Heem
{at the end of the day}


Between last week and this week I thought about what method would be best to use when copying the painting, finally I realized that using a medium to thin the paint and to apply layer upon layer of paint to resemble what de Heem created in the original painting. For this week I really focused on the lower portion of the painting, trying to capture the affect of the marble table, and refining some proportions of the glass vase. I made the decision to paint the entire table surface and then to later paint on top of this with the details of the pea pods and such. I used a medium of linseed oil with a few drops of damar varnish and a #2 filbert bristle brush and sometimes a #2 sable filbert brush. During the day it became clear that next week I will need to bring a maul stick to stabilize my hand.

This painting is full of detail -- insects, thorns, and subtle highlights -- it will be a pleasure seeing how this experience unfolds...

DSC_0105
{detail of the de Heem painting}


Thanks for stopping by and reading,

Liz

4 comments:

Debbie said...

What a wonderful adventure you must be having! I can only imagine how it would feel to stand in the National Gallery of Art, and actually paint from a masterpiece right in front of you. Wow! I just visited there for the first time this past spring and it is an incredibly beautiful place. Thank you for sharing your uncommon experience there!

Mary Sheehan Winn said...

WOW. You are brave. What a great way to practice and in such a fantastic setting!
You'll do well, I'm sure. I'll be back to see.

eLIZabeth Floyd said...

Hi Debbie and welcome! This is a wonderful opportunity, being in such close proximity to so much great artwork is very inspiring!

eLIZabeth Floyd said...

Thanks Mary! So far it has been a fantastic experience that will only get better as I get more comfortable with the gallery visitors walking around.