Value Studies as a Base to Interior Scenes

My work is propelled forward from studying artworks of others. By studying I mean creating a copy of the artwork, and in this case, focusing simply on the value (light/dark). 

 I’ve been exploring value and its importance in organizing space. This is a quick and fun exercise where I can study the artwork of a master like Andrew Wyeth or the portrait photograph of Sottsass, and then add an interior scene on top. 

I chose the interior scene that mimicked the general composition of the value underpainting. The subjects did not overlap at all though. I did not choose the scenes so as to work together to create a meaning. This is a pure aesthetic exercise. 

The five paintings completed works were: Diebenkorn’s Interior With View of Buildings (1962) became A Row of Chairs; Homer’s Billboard (1887) became Three-way Doorway; Wilfred Thesiger photograph (the 1940s) became Planted Window, and Wyeth’s Roasted Chestnuts (1956) became Chair by Window.