First of all, I tried to imitate the texture and mark making of the original artist, paying close attention to the pointed dots throughout the trees. The colors were also a bit murky, as they were mixed to create a smorgasbord of different colors throughout the branches of the trees. I attempted to match all of the colors of the sky and ground to those in the original, but it was somewhat difficult to get the precise color. my artist's style was somewhat abstract and general, so I kept that in mind when painting the people at the edge of the lake, being sure to avoid using too much detail, but accurately capturing the form.
During this project, I learned that the mark making of an artist can be very emotional, and can communicate how the artist was feeling when he/she made the painting. I also learned that painting is a tedious process that requires a lot of patience in order to create the final product that you imagine and desire.
I think that my painting is mostly unified except for the detail of the trees. As the artist, I know that I spent much longer on the leaves than the rest of the painting, but I do not think that it would be too obvious to the observer. I think that there is unification in the uneven mixture of color throughout the painting (for example the sky is streaked with light and dark shades of blue).
I do not feel very comfortable as a painter. I do not feel that I can control the medium as well as a pencil for example. However, I feel that the greater range of color that paint provides makes it more fun to create a piece of art. My painting forced me to use small, tedious strokes for much of my painting, which made it less enjoyable for me. I believe that I would have enjoyed it more if I were able to create a more freeing piece of art. I would like to explore the use of paint in a more abstract setting. I think the product would be very cool. Paint limits my ability to create very strict and linear forms. I always find that the edges of objects in my paintings are a bit faded or rough, and therefore it is hard to paint exactly what I want.
