Nevada County Plein Air Painters have a monthly challenge. Last Month's was to copy a painting by master or favorite artist. I chose British Artist Peter Wileman as I love his semi abstract landscapes filled with light and color.
http://peterwilemanartist.co.uk
He paints in oil and I paint in acrylics, so some aspects of the painting did not come out in the same way. Wileman has some lovely thin layers under his more impasto paint, and he often applies the paint with a painting knife, which I was keen to try.
I worked from Wileman's website painting, as opposed to a print. I gridded the screen and my canvas and roughly sketched in the various elements with paint. Then it was on to scumbling thin layers of paint using lots of medium. I started with the mountains and sky, then worked the thin layers in the foreground.
It is a fun challenge to try and figure out how an artist created a painting. What colors they used, how they applied the paint, and most importantly what came first. I have copied several masters over the years and always learned a lot - and ultimately ended up with a fabulous painting that I can hang on my wall! I am inspired to try my own attempt at a Wileman style landscape. Just need to sort though my photos and sketches and come up with something suitable...!