......that is not the question
Well when a certain Mr JMW Turner enrolled at the Royal Academy he was taught to paint by what......yes you got it..... by copying the work of the old masters. That was how they did it. Gradually the students learned all the techniques necessary to paint like an old master, and if you were a genius like Turner - imitate, adapt and eventually surpass his old 'teachers'. When I first started to paint, I tried to copy the paintings of artists I admired. I used to ask myself "How did they do this?", then sit down and have a go at doing it. The more I learned - the more I admired these great painters. The painting above is based on a watercolour by Turner. Quite simply his "Blue Rigi - Sunset" is the most exquisite watercolour painting I have ever seen. I knew I couldn't get close to his original but I learned a lot about painting just by trying to emulate the great man and his watercolour techniques. Here are a few other paintings based on the work of artists who have inspired me: