Renoir's Flowers ~ 16" x 20" ~ Oil on Canvas ~ 2005 ~ Private Collection
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I was standing in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC in front of Renoir's 'Flowers in a Vase' and cried. I can't and won't be discouraged by my feeble study of Renoir's work. This was only my second painting. I had no instruction. Only a blank canvas, a few brushes, some oils and the fearless willingness to 'start where I was.' Renoir after all, was just a man, not a god. There are lessons in his work, in attempting to imitate it, even in failing. I look now with a more informed eye and see my homogenous mass, lacking range, contrast, and light. I will aspire. I too, am just a man. And I can learn from my mistakes.
