Learning from the masters
As a kid, I learned to draw by copying illustrations from my favorite story books…
Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night 1889
...and, when I was fourteen, I reproduced this famous Van Gogh painting for a school project. These experiences ensured that I’d always look to learn from the artists who came before me.
Gwenn Seemel
My Starry Night
1995
acrylic on panel
18 x 22 inches
For my Van Gogh fake, I was using acrylics for the first time ever (the only paints I’d worked with up to this point were gouache and watercolor). I was trying to mimic Van Gogh’s manner of painting in relief with separate brushstrokes that didn’t seem to need any re-working.
This initial exposure to acrylics through Van Gogh’s style meant that I used thick paint and textures for some time. It wasn’t until six years later that I started to use acrylics in a more watered-down and layered way.
Pyke Koch’s Large Contortionist 1957
By 2004, I had stopped reproducing other artists’ works in their entirety. Instead, I was noting what stood out most about the paintings I encountered and then using those devices in my own work.
When I happened on the Large Contortionist late in the winter of 2004…
Gwenn Seemel
Kiss It!
2004
acrylic on canvas
24 x 24 inches
...I was already thinking of this painting, but I hadn’t made any palette decisions. I was so enamored with Koch’s pink and white-green combination that I decided to try it myself.
Sandro Botticelli’s Birth Of Venus 1485
By 2006, I was starting to quote masterworks by reproducing elements that would hopefully remain recognizable in my work.
detail image of Sandro Botticelli’s Birth Of Venus 1485
When one of my subjects revealed that he loved the Birth Of Venus, I knew I had to find a way to incorporate something of this painting in my own.
Gwenn Seemel
Richard
2006
acrylic on canvas
34 x 28 inches
That’s how the roses made their way into this portrait.
Marc Chagall’s I And The Village 1911
I found that the quoting and re-working process was as educational as creating a full copy, though maybe in a different way.
Gwenn Seemel
I And Cosmonaut Neil Armstrong (Russian-American)
2008
acrylic on canvas
42 x 42 inches
(To learn more about the making of this painting, visit this post.)
Referencing requires a careful study of the masterwork. My paintings with visual quotes inspire me to look into another artist’s work with more depth, which is exactly what happened with this iconic work by Chagall and my re-making of its themes.
Michael Brophy’s Wooden Rome 2002
More recently, I’ve been looking at masterworks to help me to compose my more adventurous paintings.
Brophy’s work helped me to lay out my totem pole portrait.
Gwenn Seemel
Indian (Indian-American)
2008
acrylic on canvas
48 x 48 inches
(To learn more about the making of this painting, visit this post.)
Before discovering this northwest artist’s work, I had a hard time imagining how I would paint my Indian-Indian mash-up in anything but a very vertical composition.
Georgia O’Keefe’s The Shelton With Sunspots 1926
Similarly, I had no idea how to paint a tall building until I stumbled across this image by O’Keefe.
Gwenn Seemel
Paula Bunyan’s Pine Nut Planting Pouch (Austrian-American)
2008
acrylic on an oversized canvas pouch
34 x 23 x 10 inches
(To learn more about the making of this painting, visit this post.)
The shimmery feel of O’Keefe’s structure evoked towering heights, and, as soon as I saw her device, I knew I needed it in my painting.
Giovanni Bellini Madonna With Trees 1487
And, as I begin to work on compositions with more than one figure, I’ve found it especially useful to look at how that’s been done in the past.
Gwenn Seemel
Mother
2009
acrylic on canvas
36 x 36 inches
(To learn more about the making of this painting, visit this post.)
When I sat down to paint this ode to my Maman, I wasn’t sure how to frame the subjects until I’d looked at a number of mother and child paintings.
Some of the best teachers an artist can have are not other artists but their work. Observation of the painted world is as important to making art as observation of the real world.
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CATEGORIES: - Practice - On free culture - Featuring artists -
Madeline Bishop...
OMG, this is so cool! Thanks, Gwenn.
-Madeline
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