Thursday, June 03, 2010

Work in progress?


This is a large unstretched canvas I'm working on right now that could very well be done - I'll have to take a long, hard look tomorrow to be sure. If it's truly a complete statement, I'll call it finis and get to work on another. I like the various stages and levels in this piece. All sort of their own thing from the dripped underpainting first, to the automatic drawing in water soluble crayons, to the impressionist dashes of color to the final negative space white out.

The problem is - I could do more. Yet when I think about it, when I've been here with a painting before, I take it just that one step further and it becomes too complicated and everything about that painting that could have been finished is now painted over and going in a totally new direction. I think it's that I found a technique I like and I want to max out on it with this one canvas when I really need to move on. Let this be and take the ideas and inspiration I've got to the next and the next surface. So... I will be careful with this tomorrow, really study it and refrain from painting unless absolutely necessary. My husband says it's done and I tend to trust his judgment in the cases when he says "oo!" with that extra umph. (It's a hard job being the partner of a rabid painter). I'll let you know what the verdict is tomorrow.

4 comments:

Maria-Thérèse ~ www.afiori.com said...

Looking forward to hearing what you decide!

I find it so, so hard to step away and STOP painting - which is probably why I don't show many of my paintings! I get carried away mixing colours (how is it possible it ends up BROWN?) and adding too much... Last night I painted over a mess I'd made with white which is a bit translucent so now I have a bright but not uninteresting background with a bit of structure too... will finish it when I come back from Paris, I think! I'm visioning a photo attached to the canvas...

Kendra Zvonik said...

Holy Shit.
What a painting! I am stunned. I wondered what you were doing and now I see.
I love the space around these shapes and the drawing style is blowing my mind. you want my vote on whether it's done? yeah. it's done. how could it possibly be better? i don't know but i bet you could do it. that didn't help at all did it?? haha you are on your own, girl. you are a master and need no help from any outside source.

Unknown said...

Maria-Therese - yes, the dreaded mud surface! It all comes back to brown, doesn't it? hehe I'm looking forward to seeing more paintings from you and I hope you have a marvelous time in Paris, I'm sure you will!

Kendra - haha thanks lady. ;) I am calling it done and want to make about a dozen more exploring this combo of drawing/painting. I'm so happy you are digging it! You are my number one barometer. I just photographed it and will get started listing it today. Hope things are going great for you!

Sally Veach said...

Awsome new direction! I knew something new would happen after your trip! As far as everything going to brown--from the earth we are born, to the earth we will return!