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The White House In Watercolor #010Z

White House watercolor #673A pen & ink landmark with views of the fountain and gardens.

This article is about the White House watercolor #673, which is for sale at discount with prints by artist Stephen F. Condren, BFA-SAIC, of Condren Galleries, a Fine Arts Gallery, offering JPEG & PDF scans. This article is about the White House and the watercolor painting that I have done of it for use as prints. Prints & Scans Of This Watercolor #010A ~ Order Here.

The White House In Watercolor #673. To do a good watercolor of any structure it is recommended to do the following:

  1. Either get a good photograph of the structure, or if on site, position yourself so that you have a full view of the subject.
  2. Determine the perspective vanishing points.
  3. Have all of your artist materials close at had so as to avoid interruption on the work do to breaks.

The White House, located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is without doubt the most famous house in the world. This Georgian style house is the focal point of many political issues, however, my interest in the house is from the standpoint of Art. I will address only the central block of the house in this article.

The two-story mansion is the residence of the President of the United States and his or her family. This splendid home is difficult to address because it is so famous and is the focus of so many images. So please try to think of the house as a work of art rather than the center of political attention. Looking at the White House immediately we see that it is simple in design and not at all as lavish like many other mansions in the country are, e.g. The Breakers in New Port, Biltmore House in Asheville, and Hearst Castle in San Simeon.

Architecture of the White House

The central block of the building is rectangular in shape and is wider than it is long, the main entry faces north with a grand portico supported by two-story tall white Grecian pillars. The driveway is ample in servicing residential traffic needs. The back side of the house faces the south and is the garden entrance. The difference of the facade is that the center of the house is curved with a balcony around the curve. Many people wrongly think that the Oval Office is located here on the second floor when in fact it is located on the ground floor in the corner of the west wing a good distance from the central block of the house (though connected by internal corridors).

Both sides of the home have extensive gardens and each has a large fountain with sprays at the center. The fountain on the front lawn is usually decorated with ornamental flowers in the patriotic colors of red, white, and blue. When looking at the windows of the house you will note that there is a staggered pattern of a curves that angel above each window. There are four windows across on each side and the second floor windows are aligned with those directly below. The upper floor windows are smaller and are not as embellished with as much details as their counter parts below.

With regard to proportion the garden face is far superior to the main entry. The portico proportions do not match the scale of the house and it is too tall, whereas the proportions on the garden face are splendid needing no adjustments.

Stephen F. Condren ~ Artist

312-303-0207

School of the Art Institute of Chicago ~ BFA

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Lincoln Memorial Watercolor Painting #008Z

Lincoln Memorial watercolor #676A pen & ink landmark with it's Classical Architecture.

This article is about the Lincoln Memorial #008Z watercolor painting, which is for sale at discount with prints by artist Stephen F. Condren, BFA-SAIC, of Condren Galleries, a Fine Arts Gallery, offering JPEG & PDF scans. This is an article about the Lincoln Memorial that I have painted in watercolor for making prints.

Lincoln Memorial Watercolor Painting #676. Key elements of this work of art are as follows.

  1. Check the lighting and make sure the day is not too overcast.
  2. Distance your perspective so as to get a solid view of the subject.
  3. Take account of people and other actives that may be an obstacle in creating the work of art.

In Washington D.C. at the far west end of the National Mall sits the Lincoln Memorial. This Classical Greek structure is one of the most beautiful in Washington D.C. and perhaps the country.

Architecture

What makes this building so wonderful is it’s proportions, no other monument in Washington D.C. is so well designed and proportioned. When first looking at the structure you are taken by it’s solid massive form that dominates the western end of the Washington Mall, however, as you study the structure you will see how “light” it appears despite the massive marble and stone that are the building materials for the memorial.

There are twelve fluted columns that run along the facade and rear of the building and eight along each side. The capitals of the columns are in the Doric style. The base of the pillars have no base to rest upon, which in keeping with Classical Architectural tradition (the bottom of the pillars at the Parthenon in Athens have no base). Like the Parthenon the end pillars on each side of the facade are set in slightly closer to the adjacent pillar so as to off-set the optical illusion of appearing to “bend” way from the structure when you look at it from a distance.

Architectural details are as follows.

At the entry of the memorial is an imposing marble staircase that leads right up to opening. There are no doors to be see from the outside of the structure. From a distance looking at the memorial you can see that the opening of the entry takes up the three center spaces between the center columns. Behind the entry are two more pillars that form a rotunda to the hall that contains the famous statue of President Lincoln by Daniel Chester French. This statue is positioned right in the middle of the room and recessed towards the back wall. The space is not as dark as it would appear from looking at it from the steps because there is a glass paneled roof above the statue that emits light into the building.

Stephen F. Condren ~ Artist

312-303-0207

School of the Art Institute of Chicago ~ BFA

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Washington Monument Watercolor Painting #007Z

Washington Monument watercolor #675A pen & ink landmark is popular because of it's view gardens, and the print is matted 11"x14".

This article is about the Washington Monument #007Z pen & ink watercolor, which is for sale at discount with prints by artist Stephen F. Condren, BFA-SAIC, of Condren Galleries, a Fine Arts Gallery, offering JPEG & PDF scans. This article is about the Washington Monument which I have drawn a watercolor of for making prints.

Key elements of this work of art are as follows.

  1. Time of day.
  2. Subject’s relation to the landscape.
  3. Proportionate perspective of the subject.

At the end of the center of the eastern section of the Mall in Washington D.C. stands the Washington Monument. The monument rises just over 555′ tall and was finished in 1884.

The shape of the Washington Monument is that of an Egyptian obelisk which stands as an anchor for the Capital of the Nation. What is unique about this structure is not only its enormous size (it is the tallest obelisk in the world) but its change of material color of the monument from the bottom third of the structure.

The monument is accessible to the public where there are elevators that go to the top and viewing of the city can be seen from. What makes the Washington Monument very special is its placement on the Mall of Capital Hill. It stands just about half way between the Capital Building at the east end of the Mall to the Lincoln Memorial on the far west end of the Mall. There is a circular walkway all around the monument with flag poles hold the State Flags of every State in the Union. On the west side is a long narrow pond that extends to the Lincoln Memorial and gives off a shining reflection by day light.

Stephen F. Condren ~ Artist

312-303-0207

School of the Art Institute of Chicago ~ BFA