Study of Matisse Portrait 1-Masters Class-Week 1

Hey there! I haven't posted in several days, because I've been engrossed in the e-course I'm taking with Jeanne Oliver, Studying With the Masters-Becoming an Apprentice (see sidebar for link) for five weeks now. Four more to go! Then the course will stay up for a while so we can go back and practice anything we might have skipped in order to keep up with the rest of the class.

I have been very busy studying and practicing the techniques of the various artists in my mixed media art journal. We are not trying to copy the originals exactly, but rather studying the particular artist's technique and finding ways to apply it in our own work and style. Loving every second of it!

I currently have several practices finished and several more in progress, and blog drafts started for each of them. I just haven't taken the time to finish blogging and post them

Week one was studying with Matisse, under Jeanne Oliver. I never really liked most of his work, but I have gained a whole new respect for him and his work, and I'm grateful for the experience. So here goes my version of a study of Matisse's "Woman Seated Before a Black Background."

This value study is one of three small sketches on the same page in my journal. The charcoal showed me who's boss on it! Messy! :o

The sketch in pencil on mixed media paper to start painting on...

Trying to figure out Matisse's techniques for laying in the background and under layers. Matisse painted in oils. I used acrylics, which I'm still learning to use...

More colors and patterns (Matisse is known for his patterns), which I now see everywhere...

Finished (or I quit on) on the left and a printed out copy of the original...

My version of the original, with lots of flaws, and it could have improvements, but I decided to leave well enough alone and move on. I really enjoyed the process, and I learned a lot of new things through practice. Matisse is now one of my buddies!

We are free to paint what we want, and though what the teachers paint is awesome, I've chosen paintings that speak directly to me to practice. I'm allowing 3-4 pages in my journal for taking notes while I study and watch the videos, then 3 pages to practice projects for each artist.

So far, I have finished practices and works in progress on Matisse, Gaudi, Cezanne, Botticelli, and Georgia O'Keefe. Will post as I have a chance!

Jeanne also suggested the book, "Steal Like an Artist," by Austin Kleon, about copying other artists for learning purposes without plagerizing their work. The Kindle version is $6 and some few cents on Amazon. Very good book in simple form!

Hope you enjoyed my first attempt at tackling Matisse. It was definitely a challenge. His work is much more complicated than it looks. There will be more practice! :)