Studying Under the Masters: Reflections on Cezanne and Botticelli

I am behind!  Life has gotten away from me, and with it, blog posts. 

I left you readying myself  to copy one of Cezanne's paintings.... here is the result.

The results are not a perfect copy, and I am still not sure how he managed his brushstrokes, but this painting helped me realize the control I have over the brush.  The most fun part for me was the patchwork of ground at the bottom of the painting.   I loosened up a bit here, and just had fun with the varying colors and long strokes.

I also copied a little piece of one of Cezanne's watercolors. 

Then I moved on to Boticelli.  I really appreciate his style.  I did not realize before that the Art Nouveau style was heavily influenced by his work, but I have always loved much of that style as well.  Even though I have only scratched the surface with the little I have done,  I hope to incorporate a little more of the Art Nouveau style into my own work.  Perhaps combining it with my equally beloved highly textured backgrounds of modern mixed media?  That would be interesting.... time shall tell.

Learning Botticelli's  method of subtle shading by building up very thin layers from dark to light requires patience, but  the effect, so lovely and smooth, is worth it.  Here is my copy and his original of Young Woman in Mythological Guise.

Here is an art journal page that I did last night using a little of what I had learned from Botticelli.

I am greatly enjoying the course, and am excited to be doing a little work in Georgia O'Keefe's style this week!