I like to take at least one great workshop every year and I have been considering several for next year but haven’t decided anything for sure. While I wait, my learning continues in my studio with the selection of several master paintings I want to study. You can read more about the ones I have chosen in this blog post.

I kicked off this series with Isaac Levitan’s “Sunny Day.” I started with this one because I think (I’m not sure though) it might be the hardest one. Why I do that, I do not know! Gah. I think it’s because my dad taught me to do the hard things first, and it is a lesson that has helped me so much in life. Thanks, Dad!

I did an under painting in thin paint to try to get the drawing down. I struggled with how to block in the darker areas and the structures amongst all the foliage. I ended up blocking in the buildings and roughly sketching in the foliage with a thin layer of paint. Then I went back and forth with the drawing trying to get things right. As everything started shaping up, I reached for a small brush, way smaller than I am used to using. This is what it took for me to be able to do tree branches, leaves, and detail on the buildings. I think I held my breath much of the time. Ha!

What I admire about Isaac Levitan’s painting can’t fit in this post – there is so much! He is a master with color, setting the mood, juxtaposing warms and cools, creating just the right shadowing. His composition is interesting and masterful.

I loved painting this and I hope you enjoy his beautiful work and my study of it.

Master Study | Sunny Day | Beth Cole after Isaac Levitan | Oil on Wood Panel | 8 x 10

Art + Such Blog by Beth Cole

Master Paintings Are Great Teachers