Finishing a painting gives me great satisfaction....but to know when I am finished is another matter entirely. I am most satisfied with a painting when I give it time to rest. I hang it on a wall in my studio so I can look at it often. Usually, within a few days to a couple weeks I can tell if I need to work on it some more. Once I have added a touch here or there I like set it aside where I can't see it. After a bit of time I bring it out and have another look. This gives me a whole new perspective on things and I usually see things I didn't realize before. At this point I will adjust what needs to be adjusted, but at some point I have to commit to letting it be done.
The painting I am doing of my niece Rachel is almost done. She still has to critique it; once she has done that I will make any adjustments she wants and then I will let it rest. The commitment of letting it be done is hard to come by, but eventually it does.
Original Oil
14" x 18"
2 comments:
Lovely Memory! Usually my deadline dictates when I am done.... but you are correct, leaving it a while enables me to see things I had not seen before. Love it!
When i first saw this, my reaction was, "Holy Cow!" (Can i say that here? :) :) But it is beautiful. We were having a discussion in my class the other day about realism versus the rest. One lady is a realistic painter and she feels pressured always to loosen up and be more interpretive. I should show her this! She would feel a lot better. Thanks Memory for visiting my blog. It was great to see you there. Happy painting...
Post a Comment