Beginning artists have always been fascinated by painting the works of a great artist. There was a time at which I would have considered this a scam and a blight in the face of the art world. To take a well-known famous painting of superior quality and transpose it by a two-bit artist seems absurd and degrading. I have began to look at this in a new light though. Several years ago I bought a painting via ebay. One that I liked not because it was supposedly a reproduction or that it was a landscape. I just wanted it to hang on the wall and look at.
There is something inherently valuable about an original painting. The fact that it was labored over by the artist in his desire to create (or recreate) makes me enjoy the painting itself so much more.
I may never be able to buy an original Monet, a Van Gogh, or even an original Rockwell or O’Keefe but I can find artists who have studied their works and have come close in rendering some of these great artists, even if they take a little creative license with the work.
So why do they do it? To pay the bills and to make money are simple motivators for many of these artists. Why? It’s a great way to practice painting while still supporting your artwork by being able to sell it. If you paint like Van Gogh, you may be more likely to get noticed too.
I would challenge anyone to pick up a paintbrush and whip up a painting such as an O’Keefe or Dali and see if it doesn’t improve your skills as a artist.
Here are some current reproductions listed on ebay:
And the one I bought that I liked: Similar, maybe same one, (I can’t remember) ebay listing here
reproduction below (pardon the fact that it’s been rolled up for several years since I haven’t been able to stretch it on a frame yet)
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My passions in life are my family, my relationship with God, creativity and expressionism. This blog, decloned, reflects those passions. My belief is that all true creativity comes from the Creator first and foremost.
