As an artist, it has been on my to-do list to copy a master's painting, in order to: practice and test my current skills, to learn more about color values and composition, to push the envelope of my limited palette usage, and finally to be among the many who have copied at least one painting (whether they admit it or not). It definitely requires a totally different approach than creating a painting of one's own inception. There are some who believe as a rule that one should not copy from completed paintings of any artist, living or not. However, I have read enough to know it has been an accepted practice of artists going way back in history, including copying right in front of a painting in a museum. Believe me, it is a daunting challenge, especially if the artist's brushstrokes are very expressive. Nevertheless, I have thoroughly enjoyed the process of discovering what it is like to copy a master's painting and particularly of such a beautiful painting by the American figure painter, Cecilia Beaux (1855-1942).
In the summer of 1909, Cecilia Beaux began the painting: Mrs. Stedman Buttrick and Son (33.5" x 25.5"), according to the book by Sylvia Yount: Cecilia Beaux, American Figure Painter (2007). The book is from an exhibition at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, GA. (Yount's book print of the painting has a warmer tone.) Another book by Alice A. Carter: Cecilia Beaux, A Modern Painter in the Gilded Age (2005), states that the portrait was commissioned after Mrs. Buttrick died after giving birth to her fifth child and was executed from photographs. (Carter's book print of the painting has a bluer tone.)
One hundred years later, in the fall of 2009, my artist friend, Diane Rath (www.dianerath.com) came to Michigan to teach one of her twice annual workshops. Her project for the willing students was to copy Beaux's Mrs. Buttrick's painting during the three-day workshop. She had color photocopies of Carter's bluer print for us to use (image size 9" x 6.5"). The first day we sketched the painting on our canvases, using the grid method, correlating the smaller grid from the source image to a larger grid on the canvas. (Diane gave me a 24" x 20" gessoed board to use. It is a different size than the original, which is a general practice and courtesy when copying.) We then painted an underlayer using transparent earthy colors, trying to note the correct values of the painting. The second and third day were spent applying color using Diane's suggested fuller palette of colors.
A few days later after the workshop, when I thought I was going to just touch up the painting, I realized that my drawing was way off. Standing at a fixed easel for three days led to a massive distortion towards the bottom half of the painting. In addition, although I painted the child's head nicely, the head too was too small. In order to do something right (or not at all), I decided to spend the time to correct the painting, especially if I had made copying a master's painting as a goal.
Only using a bit of Diane's stand oil mixture during the workshop, the painting was now dry to the touch. Not wanting to paint over ridges of paint, I grabbed a new Scotch-Bright scour pad and gently sanded down the painting, being careful not to breath the dust and to clean up the surrounding area. Next, using cadmium yellow light thinned with some linseed oil, I lightly painted a new grid over the painting. The yellow color was bright enough for the notation over both the dark and the light areas. Then, I 'redrew' the major outlines of the shapes within the grids, still using the thinned yellow mixture.
My current palette of colors is a red, yellow, blue, plus white palette, which I learned from Dawn Whitelaw (www.dawnwhitelaw.com) years ago. I am very comfortable with the palette and so it is what I will use to correct and finish the painting. Selecting just the basic color values, I paint over the major shapes within each grid and covering the added yellow outlines on the painting. I leave what is left of the yellow grid on the background to keep the drawing in check. The remaining yellow grid lines will be painted over when I get to re-painting the background stage.
Now, the fun truly began. I painted in one section at a time and each section required multiple attempts. The difficulty came when the color values were close. The dark area of Mrs. Buttrick's face has so many subtle value changes that it probably took most of my concentration. Each paint application had the usual decisions of hue, value, temperature, and intensity. Then I had the added challenges of repeating Beaux's brushwork and her edges.
When I was almost done, I checked Yount's book with the warmer tones and in comparison I discovered I did not like the current coolness of the painting based on Carter's book. (This is the problem I foresaw when I thought of copying from books and the various printing issues.) Having not seen the original, I sensed I needed to go warmer guessing what Beaux intent was for the overall color of the painting. So, I mixed a bit of indian yellow with some linseed oil to lightly 'stain' certain areas, mostly the skin sections. Those areas got repainted again while still working on adjusting color values.
Also, I felt I needed to pump up the red areas, so I added a cadmium red light to my palette. The warmer red (as opposed to my more neutral red on the palette) really helped with the child's face, and of course, the major red sleeve Mrs. Stedman has in the painting.
My last step was to repaint the background. Again, I had to shift the color values to a warmer background, using a diluted mixture of paint and linseed oil. It was fun using some makeup sponges to push the paint around, simulating what maybe Beaux did with big brushes.
Currently, the painting has reached a stage where it is acceptable for me to stop. Although I know there are some remaining drawing and color value adjustments, the corrections that could be made would be minor. My learning from the painting has been immense and now I need and want to get back to my own creations. To finish, I'll sign the painting with "after Cecilia Beaux", given her my full respect and due credit. Then I'll seal the painting with a coat of Gamvar (www.gamblincolors.com) and search for an appropriate frame for it.
My many thanks and appreciation go to Diane for starting me on the journey of copying a master's painting and to Cecilia Beaux. Ms. Beaux's paintings are beautiful and I hope she would not mind. May she rest in peace.
