Some Come Easy...
Apr 20, 2017
Some come easy, some not so. Most artists are familiar with this. One painting will seem to paint itself, the next one requires a lot of thought, redesign and rework. I have come to expect this, knowing that out of the struggle something special can emerge.
Although all of us would like to succeed on our initial vision, for me, often my best work results at the long end of a winding journey. Munificent Beauty was one of these pieces that needed room to breathe and grow.
My initial start floundered repeatedly. I made some significant changes to the original concept, opening up the view on the right in order to create a little more distance. After doing so I was unsure how I wanted to develop and balance the foreground. After a few starts and stops, unhappy with what I had done on the foreground I scraped down the previous paint layers. Now the surface was getting smooth and flat...yikes, what did I do??
Believing it was beyond redemption and would serve only as an unfinished lesson learned, the piece sat in a corner of my studio for almost a year. Staring at it from time to time, I knew some good work had been done on it, but wasn't sure at all that there was more than that. I planned to use it as a "study" to develop a new piece in the future once I had a better vision, but clearly that would be for another time! However, over time emotions began to rise and yes, the belief that there was a painting of substance just waiting to be released. Thoughtfully and mindful of my new vision as it unfolded, Munificent Beauty was finally completed, and have found a new home.
