F. Vettergreen, "first orange" 2011; oil and wax on canvas, 6x6 inches
My painting elves were at it again. I left Steam III: View on the easel yesterday hoping it would still be wet enough to scrape most of it off today…to discover on arrival this morning that the bits I thought weren’t working actually kinda were. So I had a coffee and contemplated for a while and couldn’t think of anything else to do to it. Then I moved it over to the drying corner and contemplated some more. It’s done. And I like it. Thank heavens I had an appointment yesterday and didn’t have time to do any scraping before I left!
Moral of the story: thou shalt not remove paint at the end of the day. Wait. Start again if you miss the window and it really is bad…after all, it’s only a piece of masonite until you make it art.
So I painted my lunch again. I’m thinking there will be a show of these little guys…what do you think? A room full of tiny pictures of fruit…
love the moral, very wise!
great painting, I really like these little fruits.
a roomful would be excellent, methinks.
This was a good moral to the story. Usually I’m at the end of a painting session when I decide I don’t like what I’ve done. So tempting to just clear it off and let it dry so it’ll be ready when I want to start again. I’ve learned to let it stay and see what a fresh pair of eyes says when coming back to it. Like you, there were redeeming parts I’m glad I didn’t remove. BTW, love your work!
aggghhh…I searched for about an hour trying to retrace my steps in how I found you. My history tab says the previous site I was on was facebook, but nothing rang a bell there. Sometimes I get lost in following different artists suggestions to other artists. Even if their art styles are different, I tend to agree with their eye. I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you how I found you…a mystery for now…and if I figure it out, you’ll be the first to know…I’m just glad I did. Lesson learned – I know I’d want to know the connection, too. And thanks for your valuable comment on my blog.
PS I love your abstract ‘landscapes’ the best.
Totally love your work, agree with your observation. Learned a long time ago, if you’re too tired, frustrated, etc., just walk away and take a look later when you feel better.
I used to find the same thing with my musical compositions. The trick was to know when to walk away (which wasn’t always at the end of the day)… sometimes, though, I had to put things away for a week before they started to come clear. I didn’t have the limit of drying times!
And the same when writing fiction- the story might take off in a direction I didn’t anticipate, and rather than scrub it all out… I would put it away, knowing my eyes would see the best direction more clearly after a break. Sometimes the unexpected was right.
That’s the trick, isn’t it, remembering to JUST STOP when you’re frustrated? Destruction can wait till later. It’s never too late to paint over something (or tear it up) but it sure can be too early.
Yes good advice. Sometimes it’s hard to know when to walk away. If I have a piece that I have trouble resolving I let it sit. If it sits to long, like months, I realize there is no resolving to be had and it gets recycled.
I have those elves show up too! S
ometimes I am so discouraged when I leave something at the end of the day and voila! in the morning it looks so much better! Keep painting your lunch!