Artist Study: Monet {part two}

Wednesdays are Artist Study day... but this week it got put off until Friday (catch-up day) and accidentally even spilled over into Saturday.  Here's what we did:

• Read Child's History of Art, Hillyer - 'The Most Important Person'
• We'd already looked through this gallery and noticed that the print looks different in thumbnail view as opposed to full view.  So we talked about how Impressionism is different in that it isn't striving for detail so much as the over all impression of light and color.
• Then we decided to paint! Normally we don't paint during artist study, we just study the works.  With Impressionism and its special appeal, I wanted them to get a feel for it themselves.  We picked up the inspiration to wet our brushes here - Phyllis' kids' artist study on Monet here. 

A very helpful quote for imitating the impressionists:

"When you paint, try to forget what objects you have before you, a tree, a house, a field or whatever. Instead think, 'Here is a little square of blue, here is an oblong of pink, here is a streak of yellow,' and paint it just as it looks."

Claude Monet

 How are these for Charlotte Mason principles... :)

No one is an artist unless he carries his picture in his head before painting it
and is sure of his method and composition.

Claude Monet

It's on the strength of observation and reflection that one finds a way. So we must dig and delve unceasingly.

Claude Monet

On the LOVE of art:

A work of art that did not begin in emotion is not art.
Paul Cezanne

Colour is my day-long obsession, joy and torment.
Claude Monet

More helpful links:

My other post, Artist Study: Monet {part one}

Here's a project called Mini Monets by Dick Blick Art supplies with a video!  Looks awesome. We watched this halfway through before it decided to start over from the beginning...twice! (our connection is slow, so I had not the patience to wait for it the third time... urgh)

and this book: Picture This, Activities and Adventures in Impressionism by Raimondo