Maybe?

I’ve just stepped back from another piece of art. Another painting set up on the easel. Is it done? Being the artist makes it hard to decide. Technically any piece can go on forever, there are no real rules. It’s not like a game with a competitive outcome. It’s not dictated like a book. It’s just grab some paint, paint, and then stop.

I found myself questioning my thoughts and decision making process. Here I sit, thinking alone. I’ve had some coffee. I’ve folded some laundry. And I just can’t figure out when to quit. The piece went from a heap of crap on the floor, to stapled together. I initially expected to be painting this one on the side of the road, showing off how hard it was to be an artist. The concept went from a bad idea to thinking I was over thinking everything.

My paint is drying on my last piece of palette paper. In the beginning stage, there was a huge hole in the middle of the pieced together canvas surface. I was calling it the hole in my art. It was so clever. Then I filled the gap with a poster board, painting the hole closed. Then I removed the poster board and the art collapsed. The way I stapled it to strapping had no structure what so ever. It was bending at the seams. That problem is still a problem. But now I’ve got a glue gun, a broken paint brush, and a sawed off section of dried bamboo. Filling the hole. Now what?

It’s looking really good. Especially when I stand back. I love the shadows, the little pink flowers, the reflection of the clouds on the water. The bright green patches of grass. I feel like it needs more detail, to make it more realistic. I also feel like the expression, the impression, the style of the piece has already been determined. I wonder if I keep adding the little specs here and there if my style will get lost in the over done realistic approach?

My style has finally developed into something I enjoy and all I want to do is keep changing it. The creative process is my favorite part of making new art, the visual effect of one color changing everything. I decided to sit and ponder this as part of my technique, letting it sink in before I felt like I ruined it.

I think I need to go pick the brush up one more time. Maybe a different brush? Maybe a few more colors? Maybe I will just smear the rest of the wet paint on with my fingers? All I know is I don’t know what will happen next. Yay!