Is This A Forgery?

I have always been intrigued by the watercolor paintings of Taos artist Tom Nobel and I decided to copy this painting of his and several others to learn more about his unique style. Tom lived in Taos and managed to capture the enchantment of New Mexico in a very special way. While painting this I got the strong feeling that he must have loved the work of Vincent Van Gogh. Vincent's nocturnal paintings have similar dark starry skies and also include different shades of lime green. The arrangement of the flying birds and their large size which places them forward in the composition creates an ominous and foreboding feeling which is very compelling. I learned a lot about Tom's color choices when I painted the large shape of the church with yellow orange and violet. One of my favorite things is how the unusual angle of the church and the flying birds create stability and movement in the same painting. I encourage my students to copy works of their favorite artists because it is a time honored practice for learning from the masters. I still remember visiting the Louvre in Paris and seeing art students copying paintings right in the museum. These same birds have promised me that they will be flying around in Taos during my Workshop in May and there is still time to sigh up so if you are interested, send me an email and Happy Painting. Dennis Pendleton