study of a matisse landscape, 20x18” oil on canvas
3:07 PM: yesterday i came across a matisse landscape i loved, so i decided to break up the tiring process of studio cleanup & reorg by making a small study of it in oil. as usually happens when you look carefully the master and try to replicate his marks, colors, composition… it’s a wonderful learning experience.
it became clear to me why he did certain things, which i might not have otherwise noticed. i’m certain this will enrich and deepen my experience next time i start a new painting. for now, it has given me an even deeper love and appreciation for matisse. so much so that i may make another study, perhaps of an interior.
BELOW: two of the areas i cleaned/neatened up. the top of that file cabinet was piled willy nilly with works on paper, some of which were almost 20 years old. i did a preliminary organization, separating out the ones i consider most successful. the area beneath those cabinets was piled with prints i’ve made over the years, msotly from phots i took of our creeks. i separated them out from the rest of what was in the pile and, as with the works on paper atop the file cabinet, they’ll undergo further organization, but for now at least i know they’re all in one place.
