Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Good Paintings Gone Bad

It happens now and then; you start a painting that you feel excited about and somewhere along the way the dang thing goes wrong.  I don't know about you, but at that point I tend to get worked up and start to over paint.  As if that weren't enough, sometimes I start to scrub the paint off as though I can somehow start over.  I wish I had a studio elf who would grab me at that point and send me to my room with a bowl of ice cream.  

Just before I scrubbed all the violet off for the first time.  300 pound paper is very forgiving, but it can only absorb so much paint..


When I've really made a mess, I'll finally give up and put the painting away and re-visit it later.  Actually, today was my third go round with this painting.  I have more incarnations of it in its various forms in my photo files than any others I've done.  

Where I got frustrated the second time..

Today, while digging through the flat file I came across it again and pulled it out.  It called me.  It tantalized me. I took it to the table and started to wet my paints... 

Actually, having a painting that you consider a loss is a chance to work with a real sense of freedom.  If it's already ruined, then what do you have to lose? Who knows, you may be able to come up with something wonderful. 

Today's result.  (The color of this photo is the most accurate.) While this is no masterpiece, I wouldn't be ashamed if someone wanted to frame it and hang it up someplace now.

Cuba Bluff
Watercolor on paper
22" x 30"

Although I never even started the painting I planned to work on today, I think I may have taken what appeared to be a total waste of paper and made it something I like.  Of course, it'll go in the flat file and in a few more weeks I'll know for sure.  In the meantime, it was a productive day after all. 

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