Disappointments!!

NEW WORKS FROM THE STUDIO OF ART BY WENDY

The picture isn't quite right!

You put in tons of time but  . . . . .You are not happy!

Disappointment!!

That is the story of “Standing Tall”. 

Standing Tall - 11 x 14 - Watercolour

I love the poppies in our yard and I love to draw and paint them when they come into bloom.  Their lovely lush colours and beautiful folds and curves; such beautiful colour so early in the year. 

I think I must have fallen in love with the process when I created this picture.  The texture!  The shapes! The colours! They blinded me and yet they motivated me.  I started first with molding paste to get strong texture and movement throughout the space and then worked diligently to finish it. But somehow the finish wasn’t there.  I left it for a bit, then framed it but still I wasn’t happy.  When I found myself reluctant to take it to shows I knew there was a problem.

I put it away. 

It has been a few months now and time to decide – can it be fixed or should it be chucked!  I find that time helps me distance myself from a picture and I am able to look at it more objectively.  This process often results in success for me but also helps to weed out the ones that need to be gone. 

When I looked at “Standing Tall” now, I can see that the flower is too centered, the interesting stamens have become a “big blob”. I decided to try cropping the picture to move the flower from the center.  As soon as I did that I could see the textured background came into play and the flower became much more interesting.  My blob became interesting flower parts again; my beauty and mystery had returned. 

New and Improved - Standing Tall - 8 x 10 - Watercolour

How do you handle your “Disappointments”? 

Have a great day and happy painting,

Wendy Mould