after N.C.Wyeth oil on linen

Copying paintings is supposed to be good practice....as long as you give the original artist credit. NC Wyeth was one of my favorite illustrators, though his illustrations did not fulfill his creative mind. He left illustration to paint his own scenes, but his inability to meet his financial needs forced him back to illustration again. The scenes he painted are so filled with emotion and drama. We know him by his dramatic scenes of knights secreting a cave by torchlight or of pirates landing on shore with huge billowing clouds taking two-thirds of the canvas. Wow! I've always been amazed by his wonderful painting and striking scenes from childhood stories. So.... over Christmas, to get the spirit going, I decided to copy one of Wyeth's best loved magazine covers with Santa Clause. I became restless and frustrated early since I did not chart the whole painting out from the beginning, thus not getting critical parts of the painting on the canvas. Perhaps I would like to try this one again. It will be fun, anyway, having this one hanging around the house at Christmas time.