You Can Copy and Learn

There actually is a time in your life when copying will actually help you learn. That is when you are copying a master painter, which is what I did today in conjunction with the Impressionism workshop I attended. I've actually copied this painting before, a year ago, when I was taking an acrylics class through UT Informal classes. It was using a whole different technique than what Cezanne used to paint the original, but I still remember feeling like I was learning something about how he painted by copying his brushstrokes. It happened again today. A year later, and using the same oil medium that Cezanne used (or close to it since science has definitely changed oil paints and mediums since then), I felt much the same as last year. I discovered that it's very possible that Cezanne has colors on his brush that mixed together on his palette just like I did. I enjoyed painting with energy and lightness in my short strokes. And the best part is that last year's painting is hanging on a friend's wall, but this one I get to keep! Woot!