Me: I’m thinking about replicating a Rembrandt portrait for my next assignment for my Humanities class and using you as my model.

Julia: Rembrandt? Is he the one that did Stary Night?

Me: No, that’s Van Gough

Julia: Was he the one that did the screaming face?

Me: No that was Van Goug too (Turns out I was wrong here. I’ve since realized/remembered that The Scream is commonly thought to be a Van Goug but was painted by Edvard Munch rather than Van Gogh).

Julia: Did he do the flowers floating on water painting?

Me: No, that was Monet.

Julia: Did he do the one with the daughter and farmer with the pitchfork?

Me: American Gothic. No.

Julia (with excitement in voice): Did he do the one of the girl with the pearl earring??? Can we do that one?!?!?

Julia then went to the bedroom and before I knew it she had a strong “Girl with a Pearl Earring” vibe going on.

So, it seemed to me that I had little choice but to try my hand at Vermeer’s “Girl with a Pearl Earring.” This is how it turned out.

I also decided to go ahead and mimic Rembrandt’s “Girl At A Window” painting too.  I feel as if I got closer to the overall look and feel of it than I did with the “Girl With a Pearl Earring” attempt. But I had fun doing both, even though the assignment called for me to pick only one piece of art from the Baroque to the Revolutionary period to copy. I feel I could have really nailed them both had I been willing to go out and shop for the wardrobe for both attempts that would be more of an exact match. That and built a set for the Rembrandt attempt.

I ended up doing that with a narrow side table that was given to me by my downstairs neighbor years ago (thanks Lorraine), a medium gray collapsible background,  a depression glass pitcher that has been in Julia’s family since – The Great Depression I assume – and last but not least – the sweater Julia is wearing in it belonged to her late grandmother – who she adored. I shot it available light, on our porch, which is Julia’s favorite place to hang out around here. I’ve also learned that there is some beautiful light to be captured on it to photograph a variety of subjects, like my wife.

The Girl with a Pearl Earring attempt was a bit more complicated and difficult to get: One beauty dish for my main light, and a 20-degree grid at camera right lighting the scarf hanging down her back. I had a harder time getting just the right expression from Julia for it and opted to not keep pushing her for it and instead decided to move onto the Rembrandt attempt before she had her fill of my little Humanities assignment.

As you can see, it all came together pretty well. Not perfect, but nothing ever is in art – or life.