Occasionally, certain paintings just don’t strike a strong enough chord with someone and remain unsold. They move from gallery to gallery, hoping that a different area will have that specific person who sees what this painting has to offer. Eventually, they run their course and come back to my studio.
I’ve been pretty fortunate in that this doesn’t happen too often. But when it does it gives me an opportunity to really take another, closer look at the piece and try to determine if there is something missing or if the viewing public just didn’t see what was there. Sometimes, the answers are obvious. The painting be a large piece which sometimes takes a bit longer to find a home– not everyone has the room or cash for a very large piece.
Sometimes after a piece has been in the studio, I begin to see flaws that I might not have seen before. A lack of depth as the eye moves into the picture plane. Flatness of color. Small things that might be imperceptible but are just enough to keep someone from fully connecting with the work.
But sometimes a piece comes home and I’m stumped. This is one of those, a painting called Beyond the Crossroads. I remember completing this painting and feeling that this was a strong and special piece. I was sure it would reach out and touch someone but it made the rounds and ended up hanging in my studio. I look at this piece everyday and am always pleased but puzzled, my eyes scanning the picture to find that element that might be the detraction.
But I always end up happy that I have this painting in my possession because sometimes I have regretted letting go of those strong and special paintings. Perhaps, this piece was destined for me alone…
Redtree Times 