November 25, 2023 — Elaine O.

I'm calling this finished. Lots of lessons to be had here—both for me and you. The proportions of the window mullions are slightly off, and for some reason, I felt this ruined the whole painting. So, I flooded everything outside the window with a blue-gray glaze to make it more like the day I remembered. Some colors ran badly, but it did change the mood of the painting. The lessons? 1) Take some time and think before you act precipitously, and 2) sometimes, bold precipitous acts are just what you need.

Looking out Monet's Bedroom Window, Giverny    14"x11"

And now, an art/paint history lesson for you. Feel free to skip it if you're not into that kind of thing. Do you see the bright green color of the window mullions and garden stakes? That's Sennelier Emerald Green. It's straight from the tube (mostly) and the color is spot on. Back in the day, Sennelier created many colors with and for the impressionists. This green color was particularly beloved by Cezanne, Van Gogh and, of course, Monet.

So I had to try a tube of this magic paint, right? I found it very unnatural and synthetic, so it languished in my paint box for years--until I went to Giverny. Every outdoor wood surface was this green (even the famous bridge in the Japanese Garden). I guess Monet really did like it! The actual pigment was banned in the 1960's as it was highly poisonous, but this is supposed to be an accurate reproduction.