Getting the Impression

I have been reading about and inspired by impressionist paintings lately - Monet, especially.  Something about the spring time and the finally emerging colors (spring is a slow arrival in Minnesota) makes impressionism especially appealing to me right now.  Impressionists were known for using bright colors and in particular eschewing the use of traditional neutrals for shading.  Instead, they used bright colors to portray where the light hit rather than white, dark colors instead of black for shadows.

Landscapes were common subjects of impressionist paintings.  Most people are familiar with Monet's various Water Lillies.  Like these paintings, many of the paintings in this era used a lot of blues and greens (partly because new synthetic pigments had been developed to broaden the blue-green spectrum), but my very most favorites make heavy or notable use of warmer colors. 

I decided to do my own quasi-impressionist painting:

Sorry for the glare...

It's a little different take on impressionism.  I like to think that there is a little bit of Van Gogh in the street and a little bit of Degas in the dresses . . . but I was also inspired by my recent readings of Emma by Jane Austen.  I imagine Emma and Harriet getting caught in the rain in Highbury.  Anyway, it's not full of cute little ducks, but I hope you like it!  It's now hanging in the dining room :)