Title: Composition One – 30 inches x 30 inches – El Capitan
The League’s Annual Art Sale is a rare opportunity to bring home the work by current League students at affordable prices.
Composition One – El Capitan
For the past several years, I have participated in showing—and selling—my paintings at the Art Students League. Throughout the year, I dedicate my best waking hours painting live models, but I get out of my way to paint at least one Plein Air Painting for the League’s Holiday show. All of my Plein Air Painting at the Holiday show have sold and found their home.
This summer, I visited a few national parks, including Yosemite National Park. I arrived there in the evening, so there wasn’t that I could see, but driving into it in the darkness, there it was, El Capitan, dressed in black and holding the night sky. During the day, I hiked up to it for a close examination of the rock formation. Then I looked up, standing in front of the giant granite wall that dominates the west end of Yosemite Valley—this is what I saw, a beautiful rock that is full of light and shades from the heavens.
December 6, 2023
Bird-of-Paradise
December 7, 2023 — The following painting is now showing. Thank you and congratulations to the collector of ‘Composition One’.
December 7, 2023
There are many ways to paint, but one of the best way, in my mind, is to paint as fast as one can from life. Another great way, is to paint slow. It takes time to be comfortable with all the movements and all, but it’s a beautiful way to see the world in a whole new way.
Bird-of-Paradise – 18 inches x 14 inches
This painting was completed in 2 sittings, and I love vibrant colors on this. I have wanted to show this painting in a show one day, and it’s on view for first time.
Maria Del Mar
Maria Del Mar – 11 inches x 14 inches
December 8, 2023 — Thank you and congratulations to the collector of ‘Bird-of-Paradise’.
Happy to inform you that this portrait was created from 100% reality, and wasn’t created by some computer program. Obviously, there is only one ‘Real’ and original and tangible copy. Painting from life is not for everyone, but only for those that can stomach the reality.
December 8, 2023
La Rosa de Maria #5
December 20, 2023 — Thank you and congratulations to the collector of ‘Maria Del Mar’.
December 20, 2023
Cornrows in Harlem
December 21, 2023 — One of my favorite paintings is now on view at the League.
Cornrows in Harlem — 20 inches x 16 inchesDecember 21, 2023
Gallery Hours
Monday – Friday: 10 AM – 9 PM Saturday & Sunday: 10 AM – 4 PM
Many of my portraits from life are executed over consecutive days and weeks. This one, however, was done in just a few hours, and is one of my favorite from this year.
Related Things To Do in NYC
Speaking of painting from life, If you are in NYC, go see the Met Exhibition, Manet/Degas. There are some exceptional paintings from both painters.
The total amount of outstanding borrowing by the U.S. Government, as of May 27, 2023, is $31.47 Trillion dollars.
There has been months negotiation about raising the debt-ceiling, and apparently, if the government can’t agree on raising it, it will cause—basically—a financial meltdown.
Do you ever wonder how to start or end a painting? I do. All the time.
I truly think that there is no good way to end a painting but to think that there is always more can be done—it’s just that I decide to wait putting down next strokes.
A similar dilemma exists when beginning a painting. Where do I place the head? What’s going to happen to the feet if the head is painted too big? Is it possible that arms won’t fit inside the canvas? Then, I put aside all the small details and paint one thing at a time, and it is as if the painting has existed all along—and I watch how the painting falls into place.
Thank you all for your continued support for my paintings. It has been humbling yet incredible years of painting.
I am so excited to inform you that my Instagram account has organically grown to over 1000 followers, made up of artists and art enthusiasts all over the world.
Growing audience takes time, but I expected it to take time since I have grown my audience slowly and without paying for followers. I understood earlier on that it’s better to have 100 great friends and followers than unauthentic ones. I suppose I will promote my works in an effort to sell my works more rapidly, but I will decide on that later.
To thank and in response to those that requested to view my works closely, Below is a slideshow based on my most viewed and liked reel. Thank You.
Again, thank you for all the likes, follows, and comments. Enjoy the slide show below—swipe to see all of them—-and Good day! – Je
This was my last painting session at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It has been incredible eight weeks of copying a painting by Caravaggio.
Thank you The Met, Thank You to those running the Met Copyist Program, and Thank You all the Met Staff and Met Security for this opportunity to copy and learn from Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. THANK YOU.
At the Metropolitan Museum of Art – November 28, 2022
So much has happened while participating in the Copyist Program at the Met—continuing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, intensifying inflation concerns, escalating Iranian Protests, and much more.
From all the news, though, the events that had been in my mind the most is the worldwide protests that have begun following the death of Mahsa Amini in September.
To capture and to remember this time in history, I titled my version of my mastercopy as follows:
The Denial of Saint Peter: Woman, Life, Freedom
Leading up to starting the copyist program, I had finished a portrait of an Iranian Woman who informed me of the protests there because of the way wearing hijab is enforced by the ‘morality’ police.
Coincidentally, I had already selected to copy the Denial of Saint Peter, which includes a lady with a head covering
And, when the protests made use of the words ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’, it reminded me of three times that Peter denied Jesus, and how that is represented in this painting.
Oil on Canvas – Completed Painting – The Denial of Saint Peter: Woman, Life, Freedom
The Final Push
It is incredible how fast 3 hours passes by when painting. For the first half of the session, I worked on refining the portrait of Peter and the lady—this time paying special attention to the light hitting the original compared to my copy.
The second half was spent on placing lightest highlights throughout the painting, ending with the highlights on the soldier’s armor.
And just like that, I finished mastercopying at the Met.
Thank you for reading my stories, following and sending me encouragement via Instagram (@jesoundkeepers). I hope you have enjoyed reading my weekly updates. I hope my stories and experience at the Met has perhaps inspired some of you to join the copyist program at the Met, or simply take a leap of faith to pick up a paint brush and paint.
This is me, the day that I decided to copy this painting by Caravaggio
The Art of the Copyist
Je was honored to be selected to painting with Jazz and 8 other artists after The Met reopened the Copyist program as Covid restriction was lifted.
