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Field sketch to finished painting

Carol L. DouglasJul 28, 20071 min read
Here are two paintings by Tom Thomson which demonstrate how he went from a field sketch to a finished painting. He changes the aspect ratio a bit but itā€™s blown up roughly 3.5 times in the final work. ā€œThe Opening of the Rivers: Sketch for ā€˜Spring Iceā€™ā€ (1915) oil on wood-pulp board21.6 x 26.7 cm …
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Napoleon I on his Imperial Throne

Carol L. DouglasJul 27, 20073 min read
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/Ingres,_Napoleon_on_his_Imperial_throne.jpg My husband and I saw the show ā€œCitizens and Kingsā€ at the Royal Academy of Art in London. Three months later, the painting which sticks in my memory is Ingresā€™ Napoleon I on his Imperial Throne (1806). Most paintings are better seen in life, and this is no exception. The marble ball on the …
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Delaware Water Gap

Carol L. DouglasJul 25, 20073 min read
A water gap is a place where a river cuts a notch sideways through a mountain range. Geologists tell us this indicates a river which is older than the mountains it flows through. Pennsylvania is rich in these water gaps, and one of the most well-known is the Delaware Water Gap on the Delaware River …
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Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York

Carol L. DouglasJul 25, 20072 min read
Since Monday was a day of heavy rain, painting outdoors without shelter was out of the question (eventually the paint starts sliding off the canvas). The Cathedral kindly gave me permission to paint inside. I know the Cathedral fairly well, and have always been enthralled by Dutch church interiors (for example, see here, here, and …
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Gwendolyn enters the room

Carol L. DouglasJul 20, 20071 min read
Gwendolyn is a beginning watercolorist who is reengineering the world of plein air for her classmates (and for me). She has made her French easel more functional than I ever imagined possible. Look here to read her first entry, which explains her innovations to date. I plan to make one of her noodle brush holders …