Thursday, March 31, 2011

Work in Progress 4 (Finished?)

     I have reached the can't-stand-to-look-at-it-anymore stage, so I'm declaring it finished, at least for now. Maybe someday I'll go back and redo it, maybe in another medium besides watercolor. I could see this subject in pastel or acrylic.
     If anyone cares, the pigments used were Prussian blue, cobalt blue, Winsor yellow, hansa yellow, brown madder, and poppy red.
     If I don't sound enthused, it's because I'm not. It's rare for an artist to not find something to criticize in their own work. (I've heard that Leonardo da Vinci worked on the Mona Lisa seventeen years!) And right now my inner critic is pointing out all the areas that are overworked, ill-composed, poorly rendered, etc. You, on the other hand, are probably looking at it and thinking, "What, is she crazy? I wish I could paint like that!" But you are seeing it as it IS, not as it SHOULD BE. So which of us is right? Let me know.
 

1 comment:

  1. If you really dislike it, you can certainly send it on to me! It will fit right into my decor and add to my Susan Bertke collection.

    I completely understand what you mean about artists seeing all the flaws in their own work, because I see those flaws in my completed quilts as well. I've learned, however, to be proud of the parts that are well done, and to move on to the next project. There is no doubt that something I've learned via the flaws in a recent project will apply to the new one very nicely. Once my work is perfect, what will I have to strive for?

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