- I have been trying to force myself on these paintings, trying to get them to look a predetermined "way"
- I have made a decision ahead of time to "say more with less"
- By choosing inferior materials I have rejected my work before it has even begun
- The very existence of a work justifies its existence - I don't have to excuse it
- I have a lot to say and, dag nab it, if I want to blurt it out in one fell swoop, so be it!
- This is who I am - I don't have to pretend to be anyone else - I am good enough
- I have been saying "I trust the process" and then been trying to tell the "process" how it should proceed
Interestingly, after this period of agonizing I have a desire to see last year's unfinished piece. I look at it and find it intriguing. I name it "Urban Infrastructure". I can now analyze what I feel is not working and make decisions, one at a time, to bring it to completion.
The feeling of movement is good and the colours work. It is too bland in the light areas when compared to the graphic impact of the dark, so the light areas need to be "grittier". I want the "vortex" in the upper right diminished a lot, but a faint shadow to remain, reminding me of the process. I need to connect some areas since the black is so solid and dominant, appearing as walls in some areas. I use some different "bridging" techniques to accomplish this, including stamping and palette knife.
I'll live with it for a couple of weeks and see if more touches are needed. I already see the white going up to the upper edge on the left needs to be knocked back a bit and I may need to adjust the colour on the upper right edge, but that may be due to photographing this in the evening. I'll take a better picture in daylight and we'll see.
This painting is exactly what I need right now. It will be fodder for at least the next 40 paintings! As this develops, I'll show you what I'll be doing and how you can use your paintings to inspire new work that gives you a cohesive body of work.
