Week 10: Vase of Flowers by Jan Davidsz de Heem

{at the end of the day}

Hello,

On Monday I was back at the NGA working on the Vase of Flowers and I decided to start off where I had left off -- the white poppy at the top of the composition.

{where I started}

Last week I had begun to work on this flower, and decided to dedicate the entire day {we copyists are allowed to paint from 10am to 4pm} to finishing this area. So I began by applying a light coat of linseed oil to the area, wiping off any extra, adding a new layer of the dark background that surrounds the flower so I can paint wet into wet the fluttering edges of the petals.

Working my way around the flower making sure the scale was correct, once things seemed set I added the wheat husk because the right side edges needed to be well integrated. After completing the internal form of the poppy, I then added the butterfly and caterpillar. Next week or later I will need to return to the flower to add a few ants and add additional detail to the caterpillar.

{where I ended}

Monday was a busy day and it feels very good to be finished with this landmark flower of the composition.

Thanks for reading and see you next week with more progress,

Liz

PS. Autumn is really showing her colors here in DC, this is just outside of the NGA on Constitution Ave. I love it when the leaves are turning but the grass is still vibrantly green!