I so love to paint over paintings. But, I’m trying to paint over with the same subject matter instead of obliterating an entire painting. This was great fun to fix. The first still life was too simple, I think. By adding a bit more and the drapery, it is a more interesting still life. My friend Susan’s mother donated the sweet little pitcher. Happy New Year, everyone!!
Pear and Grapes
White Still Life
Chair at Tower Hill (before)
Chair at Tower Hill (W. Boylston, MA) has been reworked twice. I painted something in the distance to fill up that big space, added lights, some greenery in the black pot and a few more details. I’ve always been fascinated by light (or lack of it). Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t. The point is to have fun in the discovery.
Chair at Tower Hill (after)
Squash (Before)
Another Redo! What was I thinking? I needed a nice bright background to enhance the dull squash. Blue is a hard color to use as a background but I love the new blue background. Since I was repainting the painting I decided to throw in some more light on the squash bodies.
Squash (After)
Rocks and Grape Hyacinths (Before)
I loved doing this little 11 x 14. It really needed some light added to it to contrast more with the dark. Gives everything a fresh new look! This painting is called “Rocks and Grape Hyacinths” – a little wildness in my front yard.
Rocks and Grape Hyacinths (After)
I’ve been in the mood to redo some of my paintings. They might look ok on my easel but sometimes they don’t work when I hang them on a wall. I pooked up this little 11 x 14 of Three Chairs at Tower Hill (in W. Boylston, MA). I lightened the background, the floor, the chairs. Now I can hang it on a dark wall and it will show up!!!! It’s much happier.
Three Chairs At Tower Hill (Before)
Three Chairs at Tower Hill (After)
Sometimes I just don’t like a painting I’ve finished. It’s fun to work on but when I hang it on a wall it doesn’t do anything. My favorite thing to do is paint over paintings I don’t like. I try not to do that anymore. However, I thought I could break my rule this time and use the same components – just put them in different places.
I didn’t like this purple one. I didn’t like the composition or the light. I like the pink better. It’s more fun – not so depressing.
Wisteria and Birdhouse
Old Window and Lattice
My latest painting. Someone gave me an old window that I propped up against my deck lattice in my garden. It has managed to become part of the landscape and I loved the way the light was hitting it. And, I was intrigued with its weirdness. Why did I paint this? Who knows. Just liked the composition and color. Some of my students decide against painting something because it “looks too hard.” If I looked at things according to the level of difficulty – I would never paint. I pick my subjects because something about the subject intrigues me. If the painting doesn’t succeed I can always paint another. But! I have learned something whether the painting succeeds or not. You can see this painting and others on my website at www.artkatcards-paintings.com/Art_Gallery/Landscpe_Paintings/OldWindowandLattice.htm.
How attached are you to the artwork you are working on? Have you already decided on the outcome? Have you already picked out a frame before it is completed? Do you know where it’s going to hang in your house? If you have answered “yes” to any of these questions – you are too attached to your painting. A painting has a life of its own. You create it but then it starts to create itself. If you can’t listen to what your artwork is telling you then you are in for a painful and long struggle. If you can imagine for a few seconds that your painting ends up with a tear in it – totally beyond repair – does your life end? Do you plunge into a massive depression spewing poisonous negative energy about the room? Do you get sick, decide to never paint again? Then you are TOO ATTACHED TO YOUR PAINTING!!!!!! An artist has to practice detachment. If one corner of your artwork is perfected but the rest of your painting still is in a state of becoming – then you need to expect that your perfected corner will have to change as the rest of the painting progresses. Artwork is not a bunch of pieces put together. It is a series of relationships, a series of corrections. Every part of the painting has to relate to every part of the painting.
If your artwork is not doing what you want then maybe you need to consider doing what it wants. And consider what you perceive to be a mistake might just be a way for you to learn a new skill, a new way to apply paint or even the answer to a problem in the painting you are trying to solve.
If your psyche is plunged into the heart of doom because your teacher has asked you to make some changes to what you thought was finished – you are too attached to your painting!!! Try to be a little open to the fact that this might just be the way to learn something new. If you have the attitude that you are always learning and that you will figure out and solve the problems – your painting skills will progress rapidly. The pit of doom mentality simply slows your growth.
Learn to let go.
Mom and Dad
Finally got this finished. During the painting process, Dad ended up in the hospital to have emergency surgery to remove his gallbladder! He’s doing fine and itching to get back to all his projects. It’s hard to keep him seated for long.
They were both 83 years old in this painting – married for 60 years! Boggles the mind. They came for a visit from their home in Burlington, Vermont for my birthday. They are both still very active and very busy. This was a fun little painting to do. You can see it (and more) on my website: http://www.artkatcards-paintings.com/Art_Gallery/Portrait_Paintings/TheSwing.htm.
Mom and Dad Sitting on a Swing
Mom and Dad visited me a couple of years ago. Both 83 years old at the time. Isn’t this just the sweetest painting?
