Artistic Inspirations: My Renditions of Famous Art Pieces

Thursday, April 6, 2023

Welcome back to Art Thursdays of my B.R.E.A.T.H.S. blog where I invite you into Brainerd’s Brushstrokes and Photography studio. This is a space where I share my artistic right-brained side which is a nice balance from my research-loving left-brain. For the four weeks this April, I will be posting about my artistic inspirations, most of which were painted with my friends at Brushstrokes & Beverages located in Long Beach, California. This first week, I am sharing some of my favorite inspirational artists. 

 

My Vincent Van Gogh Paintings

Version of Van Gogh’s “Willows at Sunset”

The first “Sunset for Van Gogh” painting I completed on 7/31/2015 at a Paint Nite in Pasadena, CA. The art instructor had recreated her version of Van Gogh’s “Willows at Sunset” (see left pic above). While the style of her painting differed greatly from the original, it was my very first painting done by using a famous artist as an inspiration. 

“Sunset for Van Gogh” x 2

After I was done, and quite happy with my painting, another artist in my group was more fond of it and asked if we could trade paintings. Theirs was a messy blob of black, red, blue, and white paint, and I agreed  to trade (see pic in PS at bottom of this post), but first wanted a picture of my creation to capture the memory of the occasion. When I showed the picture to my best friend, she said it was awesome and she wanted a copy of it, so I repainted a second rendition of “Sunset for Van Gogh” for her on 8/5/2015. This was my first time attempting to recreate the same painting although they look similar, it was too difficult to do it exactly the same. 

Two Versions of Van Gogh’s “Starry Night”

One of my favorite Van Gogh paintings, and probably one of the most famously recognized, is “The Starry Night.” On 8/19/2015, with my artist friends at Brushstrokes and Beverages, we learned how to recreate our own “Starry Night” art. A little over a year later on 9/11/2016, I created a newer version called, “Fiery Starry Night.”

Van Gogh Flower Paintings

My third and fourth Van Gogh renditions were both flower paintings. I learned that Van Gogh created a series of seven sunflower paintings. I created my version of “Van Gogh’s Sunflowers” on 8/22/2015. A few years later on 6/19/2017, I created my rendition of “Van Gogh’s Irises.”

My Renditions of Claude Monet Paintings

My first Monet rendition was on 8/31/2015 called “Monet Beach Sunset in Pourville” which is based on his painting, “Monet Beach at Pourville, Setting Sun.” My second Monet rendition was on 9/7/2016 called “Monet’s Twilight in Venice,” which is based on his painting, “San Giorgio Maggiore at Dusk.” My third rendition of Monet was on 9/18/2016 called “Monet’s Rainy Water Lilies,” based on his water lily series. 

My Two Different Versions of Salvador Dali’s “Meditative Rose”

Salvador Dali is one of my favorite artists, especially his painting, “Meditative Rose.” On 8/10/2015, I created my own version called, “Meditative Roses.” On 1/24/2017, I was going through a break up of a long-term relationship and I was inspired to create a newer version called, “Meditative Hearts,” which is by far my favorite painting I ever created! Unfortunately, the painting was ruined and unable to be fixed, but I am fortunate enough to have snapped a picture of it when I finished and I can recreate prints of the original. 

Rendition of Pablo Picasso’s 1972 Self Portrait

On 8/2/2015, I created an abstract version of a face similarly based on Pablo Picasso’s “Self Portrait on June 30, 1972. While the two paintings are very different looking, the style of abstract art using geometry in the facial features is what I was trying to portray. As I usually tend to paint more abstract nature scenes, this was my first time painting a face. 

Rendition of Andy Warhol’s “Campbell Soup” Painting

On 9/12/2016, I created my own rendition of Warhol’s “Campbells’ Soup” painting. Like I stated above, I usually stick to abstract nature art. This was my first time painting a realistic pop culture art piece. 

Conclusion on Inspirational Artists

My artistic inspiration comes in many forms, especially from my favorite artists. After writing this blog, I realized my favorite type of art are renditions of famous paintings, and are mostly from male artists. I like to look at something that was created and try to remake my own version. Now, I am inspired to create more artistic renditions. Next time I paint, I will recreate paintings from some of my favorite female artists like Georgia O’Keeffe, Frida Khalo, and Hilma af Klint. 

 

Thank you for reading and viewing,

Dr. Jaime Brainerd, E.d.D.

PS- Here is the painting I traded for my first “Van Gogh Sunset.” However, I did not get the artist’s name. This is his version of a Van Gogh Sunset.