CLAUDE MONET
My affair with the Impressionists started in the 1980's. I had always loved the softness of Monet's 
paintings, his way of using broken colors, the blues, pinks and yellows, pastel colors which created somewhat of a dream scape for me within his gardens. Later on I was mesmerized by the way he continued to paint even though his eyesight was failing that his paintings now looked somewhat abstract and more bold.
I had seen copies of his Water Lillie's and when I resumed painting decided to try my hand at something similar. My first impressionistic painting was born and I of course called it Water Lillie's.
My first real study was Monet's The Artist Garden it was an on line art forum project and the other members and I were to do a Monet painting. It wasn't until I started painting The Artist Garden that I realized impressionism was not easy. There actually was an art to painting like this. My respect for this master deepened and my love affair with the impressionists grew.
I found that Monet's Japanese Bridge at Giverny c. 1900 was very interesting and instead of copying it as is, I would either add to it or do something to make it more my own.
Click here > See The Step by Step presentation of how Monet's Bridge was painted
During the painting of Monet's Bridge there was a statewide project going on in my state. It was called The Palette Project and I entered two pieces, one of which was a jazz abstract (which can be seen in Abstract Expressionism) and the other a take off of the painting I had just finished, only without the bridge. These palettes were to be auctioned off at the end of the project and I am happy to say that both of mine were sold.
