A couple months ago I listened to the book on CD “Luncheon of the Boating Party” by Susan Vreeland, the story of Renoir’s painting of this remarkable piece, a portion of which is pictured above. How would you like to commandeer 14 friends and acquaintances each Sunday for weeks, wine and dine them and get them to pose for your painting? Against incredible odds and at great risk to his career Renoir pulled it off. When I came around the corner at the Phillips collection in Washington, D.C. last week, eyes full of other great Impressionist paintings, and saw this painting glowing on the wall in the far room, I had to clutch my heart and the (stupid) words flew out of my mouth, “Is that the original?!! And yes, it was – back from a tour around the country or world. Lucky me. At lunch in the back courtyard I sketched the back of buildings, practicing a bit of architecture for a change from figure drawing.
A superb day for art viewing! We also got to see the Baltimore Watercolor Society’s Exhibition, juried by Skip Lawrence and truly inspiring – the best watercolor exhibition I can remember seeing.
You know that color – Robin’s egg blue? I glued on some Robin’s eggshell, found under a tree, evidence of a newly hatched chick, and then those seed pods that twirl like a storm of little helicopters from the big shade trees.
On Thursday and Friday I headed out to the Eastern Shore of Maryland, the Chesapeake Bay area where I joined two old friends, (they’re my age, meaning still young at heart!) We had so much to catch up on, that there wasn’t any time for sketchbooking, except this 2 minute sketch done of Karen when waiting for our sandwiches.
Next: A birthday party to remember
Check out my upcoming workshops:
Vision Painting, May 17/18 and Travel Sketchbooking June 21.
Wonderful, Susan! I enjoy so much your travel tale, the sketches, the words… I can deeply understand your emotion in front of the Renoir painting…
Great sketch of the building by the way, great pastel shades of colours on the white walls… and wonderful orange reflection of the roof on the upper part of the wall at the right side… such details make toute la grandeur!
Hi Susan, hi Miki
Susan, wonderful art work too! I’m sure this is Aquarel.
Aquarel is my favorite drawing technique, I tend to display a lot of blende and energy from this technique, it’s very powerful..
You guys are so lucky to around people and comunities sharing the same passion!
I would love to be like this.. keep going and sharing with us your works and experience at your place
“Artist are creative magicians making people see things so beautifully and simple, just like sitting at a window looking at things happening out there – by Wakish”
Cheers!
- Wakish -
Thank you for this post.