Make a Monet

Claude Monet managed to pack an incredible sense of calm into his Water Lilies collection of paintings. His use of brushstroke and myriad of green shades transport the onlooker to a place of contemplation. Monet inspires us further in his painting, The Japanese Bridge,1899 as we find ourselves placed in view of the most idyllic and frankly dreamy scene. Monet moves us into this lush landscape using luminous shades of greens and blue. He beckons we stay for awhile and it is, assuredly without hesitation, that we do.

There is something so revitalizing about the color green. Depending on the shade, green can provide a feeling of vibrancy or calm. Think about how you feel when you look at a lime green color. Does it make you feel a bit energized? Now consider the deeper green shades found in say a fern or snake plant? It's effect is oftentimes more calming.

It only seemed, as we took in the flora of our unfurling garden, that we must recreate this scene. I found it would become a great lesson in depth of field. We collected like colors from our garden, using the above picture as our guide. I looked for dark leaves to recreate the water and found the lilac flowers to suit our water lily needs quite perfectly.

Gather:

*Leaves in many shades of green, dark leaves, blue/purple leaves or flowers

*White glue

*Bowl

*Paint brush

*White yarn

*Scissors

*Parchment paper

*Green construction paper

Create:

1. Lay your parchment paper out. Place your green construction paper down.

2. Pour white glue into a small container. Use your paint brush to apply as you go.

3. You will need a large amount of glue to keep each piece of foliage in place. Consider, as you work through this piece, how Monet used light against dark to create depth. Continue on with your piece until you are satisfied. Refer often to his piece as your guide.

4. Cut 4 pieces of yarn long enough to stretch across your page plus an inch or so. Dunk the yarn into the glue and begin to form your bridge. Cut 8 shorter pieces for the cross sections. Drunk and apply to your picture.

Allow to dry. Admire.

This type of art is really more about learning to discern space on a page. This is not a piece you can keep (well, unless you build a frame around it and pour resin over the top) because, naturally, it will brown over time. Consider this a learning piece, a piece for meditative practice and just an enjoyable process all around. However, you could use dried flowers too! Then you'd have your piece forever! Cheers, friends!