I think that people who paint and people who do not paint look at and see paintings differently. 

We daily look at hundreds of images...maybe thousands...printed, online, televised. It is easy, when walking through a museum, to look at paintings, especially representational paintings, as just more 'pictures' as if we were leafing through a magazine. 

But we are not aware or appreciative of what goes into making a successful painted image. There is more to admire in a painting than just the subject matter. There is more than the "what" to a painting. There is also the "How "! There is much to learn and to master about composition, line, values, color theory, anatomy, brush work, perspective, how to direct the eye, how to hold the viewer's attention.and so much more!!

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Bo Bartlett's original painting above.



    haven't been inspired to paint anything original recently so,to keep busy,I copied a      piece by Bo Bartlett.   ( Top painting)

It's instructive.

I have to find and mix the correct colors. There is the matter of maintaining values etc....and I always seem to gain just by pushing the paint around with a brush.

This one, entitled "Lifeboat" , is my favorite of his works.

Now, I have a copy of my own !

Oil on canvas 22 x 28 inches....the original is 88 x 100 and is in a private collection.

Another attempt to re-create George Inness' painting technique.

A second try at the same image....
and a close up.

Homage to George Inness

Landscape

I have little experience with landscape.It isn't possible to paint every leaf, of course. The idea is to focus on masses of light and shade...showing details of leaf forms at the edges of those masses. These are umbrella pines.

The middle photo is the original painting. The bottom is the 1st revision and the top is the final version.

First,I made some changes to the original painting:

some might be difficult to discern from the photo....

Obviously, I set the tray on a surface and placed wallpaper in the background. There are hints of orange,pale blue and black in the design.

Then, I muted the intensity of the reflections on the tray surface and softened their sharp edges. Reflected objects have softer edges.

The orange reflection was as intense as the fruit itself...so I added a touch of blue to the orange to neutralize it a little. I also lessened the intensity of the reflected vase.

The tray seemed too bright now..it didn't match the painting's tonal key.

So... I took some of the color used in the wallpaper and repainted the tray to make it less bright.

I know this is a more fully realized painting so why am I still drawn to the original ??
The top version will be the last! It is very similar to the original, but the tray is 'grounded' now.

Grids etc.

There is a kind of purist snobbery in the art world about how one gets the drawing onto the canvas.
Some say it must be drawn freehand using only the eye to acertain position and size and proportion. (although,of course, holding up a pencil as a marker seems to be OK !!)

Others say the grid method is acceptable
Some trace.

All methods show a greater or lesser degree of personal involvement...personal ability.

Compare the person who takes a blank canvas, looks at his still life and draws his forms to the one who takes a photo and traces the forms onto the canvas.

Both get the drawing down and can begin using paint.
Yes, the final work is a painting and that work stands on its own merits as a painting.
But one, perhaps, can claim a bit more credit as an artist, having used his skills from the beginning.

Personally, I'm not overly concerned about using grids etc.
I just want to know that I can draw.

Right now, my drawing, seeing, measuring skills are not developed.

Some people take years to train the eye to be able to look at a composition of objects and render their size, shape and relationship to one another accurately.

I'd love to have the luxury of time to develop these skills !!

I'm not a young student with years ahead of me ...so I cut to the chase.

But it makes me feel a little less authentic.