Thomas Hill Studies

The painting presented on this page are ones I myself copied from pieces painted by the California painter Thomas Hill. Not only are they representations of a landscape I have painted frequently myself, but they are rendered in a way that I found presented a variety of techniques I wanted to learn.

Copying artwork done by an artist whose paintings you are attracted to is a wonderful way to expand your own painting skills. Studying any artwork carefully enough to create your own copy forces you to figure out not only the variety of techniques used, but to see more clearly the effect of placing compositional elements in a way that makes them work.

By coping the originals of Thomas Hill I was able to figure out by trial and error how he accomplished different aspects of each painting. Learning how Hill would build a composition by careful replication of placing shapes allowed me to understand how he approached the underlying structure of landscape

There are times when copying I will incorporate changes of my own into my rendering - perhaps color changes, or adding or deleting small elements

A few traditional rules of thumb when you paint a copy:

  • The art you create should not be the same size as the original piece.
  • Your signature should include reference to the original artist
    (The pieces presented here are signed "L.F. Harris aft. Hill"

Note: Painting included in this section are my "class notes" and are not for sale.