MMP Series # 6 - Matisse's - Woman with a Hat

6x6 acrylic on stretched canvas

image wraps on 1-1/2 inch sides
available via DPW auction click here

This is another in my Mini-Master Pieces series. The artist is Henri Matisse, the name of this piece is "Woman with a Hat" dated 1905. You can read more about this piece by clicking here. You can read more about the artist by clicking here.

This was a WOW for me - not in expertise, but the opposite. Wow, what a learning experience. They say you should go out of your comfort zone periodically, that it will open a different window into your art & technique. I could not believe how true that statement was until I did this piece!

I was never fan of Henri Matisse or his work - always seemed a bit too bold for me. And, of course, it does not have the details I am always so fond of. But, Matisse was next on my list of artists - so to continue with this self-challenge, I picked one of his paintings to do a mini variation of. After scrolling through the many pieces of his, I chose this - Woman with a Hat. Not sure why, I think I actually fell for all the color in it!

What did I learn? Most of what I learned had to do with the mixing of colors. To keep the entire color palette cohesive, I limited my colors to a specific palette - then working with only those, I mixed what I needed. Since I am working with acrylics, and Matisse used oils, I did multiple washes in some area to achieve the look that oils achieve easily. Still, it was not a great deal of work - it was the color mixing that became the main focus on this piece.

The colors I chose & stuck with are: Titantium White, Cerulean Blue, Cobalt Blue, Dioxazine Purple, Cobalt Teal, Naples Yellow & Pyrrole Orange. There was also the smallest touches of Alizarin Crimson & Naphthol Red light. Using these, I often picked up a touch of one color & and touch of another color on my brush to create a color on the canvas. Other times, I would mix. The Cobalt Teal was used to make most of the blue's & green's. The Dioxazine Purple makes wonderful shadow lines. 

This painting is on a 6x6 block canvas, with 1-1/2 inch sides. And I continued the image on all 4 sides - which makes it so interesting to look at. Here are a few angle shots:

I don't think this experience will make me a fan of Matisse's art, but I do now have a greater respect for his work & technique. 

On to the next artist - I won't say who it is, but will say that his work will be as great a challenge as Matisse's but with a completely different style!