Gogh All the Way

» Posted by Lesley Spanos on Dec 12, 2008 in Available, Different Strokes, Medium, Oils, Step-by-step, Still Life | 8 comments

"Gogh All The Way," an oil painting of boots by Lesley Spanos. ©2008, all rights reserved.

“Gogh All The Way”
12 x 9 oil painting on Raymar canvas panel

When I saw Karin Jurick’s photo for this week’s Different Strokes challenge, I saw a modern version of Vincent van Gogh’s “A Pair of Shoes.” It can’t be a coincidence that they were so similar to the boots he painted in 1885, right down to the odd horizontal composition. Can it?

"A Pair Of Shoes" by Vincent Van Gogh c. 1885. Public domain image.

So I thought – with a nod to Eric Carmen -  if I’m going to paint this image , “please, let’s Gogh all the way!” As you can tell from my last post, I’ve been on a Vincent kick lately. Copying famous artists wasn’t part of my art education,  so I’m filling in that gap now.

I love boots! Putting all the nasty things like global warming,  economic crisis, and torturous high heels aside, aren’t we lucky to be alive right now? Our feet are so pampered in our modern work boots. We have a nice padded collar and tongue,  stiff ankle support, a steel shank, and a protective toe,  not to mention the modern miracle of our time, wicking socks! I don’t think I’d last the morning in van Gogh’s floppy, ill-fitting boots.

Ever notice how van Gogh’s shoe and boot paintings are among his most somber? Perhaps when he was stuck indoors with nothing to paint but shoes he was at his unhappiest. No sad boots for me! I expressed my boot-love with a cheerier palette.

Lately I’ve been getting too tense and tight when I paint, so I made myself dive in without a sketch or even any real plan.  I turned on some music (the Raspberries, even) and danced with the paint while wearing my new snow boots. OMG, they are so comfy! I think I will end up wearing them in the house more than outside.

Here’s how the painting went, from start to finish:

Notice how the perspective is off? I did that intentionally, because van Gogh’s perspective was usually twisted. It drove me a little nuts, though.