Every Fall one of my art groups, the Wauwatosa Artists Workshop has what they call a “Challenge Photo”. Members bring in photos, we vote for one, then people paint their version and bring it to the December party where we share them. It’s fun! This year they chose my photo. Above is the photo, then my version of it. It was taken at Oak Spring Garden foundation. It’s the gate which leads you from parking into the main garden area. It was a bit of a challenge to paint but I think it turned out well. What was most interesting was to:
Hear that many people didn’t like the photo (why was it chosen then, huh??) and to see the various interpretations. There were a variety of media, and some people put a figure in. Someone even painted it as if you were on the other side looking in.
My goal has been to paint from a photo in the same way I would do a plein air painting-that is, impressionistic and with a sense of light. What do you think?