In October 1890 Monet wrote a letter to the art critic Gustave Geffroy about the hay stacks series he was painting: "I'm hard at it, working stubbornly on a series of different effects, but at this time of year the sun sets so fast that it's impossible to keep up with it ... the further I get, the more I see that a lot of work has to be done in order to render what I'm looking for: 'instantaneity', the 'envelope' above al, the same light spread over everything... I'm increasingly obsessed by the need to render what I experience, and I'm praying that I'll have a few more good years left to me because I think I may make some progress in that direction..."
He did have "a few more good years" and went on to paint his lily pond many times too. If you've never attempted to paint a series, you may think that you'd get bored with the one subject. But, in fact, you'll find that you get pulled in, seeing things differently and afresh.
You can't work on one canvas on one scene throughout the day though, as the light changes too much. You need to have a set of canvases and swap from one to the next as the day progresses. Or only paint at a certain time each day.
(Quote source: p172 Monet by Himself, edited by Richard Kendall)
He did have "a few more good years" and went on to paint his lily pond many times too. If you've never attempted to paint a series, you may think that you'd get bored with the one subject. But, in fact, you'll find that you get pulled in, seeing things differently and afresh.
You can't work on one canvas on one scene throughout the day though, as the light changes too much. You need to have a set of canvases and swap from one to the next as the day progresses. Or only paint at a certain time each day.
(Quote source: p172 Monet by Himself, edited by Richard Kendall)