The Artist’s Garden at Vétheuil by Claude Monet: Final Session

{progress at the end of the day}

Hello,

This copy is complete and now home, read to be framed...

In the final session, I only had a bit more to work on and I was able to get down to business rather fast.

{progress at the beginning of the day}

{progress at the end of the day}

During this session I used the palette knife quite a bit, laying down and also scraping off. The experience reminded me of some advice my mentor, Danni Dawson, taught me about the usefulness of a palette knife. 1) you can lay down larger areas of paint with greater speed than you can with a brush, even when using a BIG brush, and 2) that you don't have to make it look like you used a palette knife, you can always go back in and refine areas with a brush if you need to, however where I used a palette knife on this painting, I kept the edges and texture.

The palette knife is a very helpful tool, it is important to find "springy" ones that mimic the springy-ness of a bristle brush, or those are the ones I like to use most when painting with a palette knife. If they are too stiff, I use the palette knife for mixing paint on my palette or scraping down, but never for painting.

Working on this large of a painting was an inspiration, and I am going to be trying my hand at larger pieces because of it.

I also have sowed a row of sunflowers in my garden this summer... a direct inspiration from working on this painting.

{finished}

...................................................................... Framed Painting: $5,000 {40″ x 32″ – oil on linen} Available for Purchase, please email me ......................................................................