This is a painting, a 24 ” by 36″ canvas, that I thought was completed a few months back. I say thought because I felt at that time that it was exactly where I thought it should be. But there was something about it that kept me from putting it up on this site over the time since. I kept looking at it and had very conflicting emotions about it. On one hand, it stood up on its own and had its own momentum and fullness. It seemed okay. But on the other hand, there were parts of the painting that seemed a bit too dark and became distracting because there was a flatness in the darkness of the color. It just created a nagging doubt in my mind.
Finally, I knew I had to address those doubts and grudgingly put it back on the easel. I inserted a lot more lightness into this piece, focusing mainly on the lower third of the painting. The blue of the foreground really pops now and the lowest blocks of green in the fields of the foreground emerge from darkness. The changes created a greater sense of depth in the piece which really opens up the whole painting, bringing more clarity to it.
Time allowed me to see something different in this painting, something beyond my intitial response to the color and composition. It may have been complete before but now it feels as though that fullness is more visible for all to see. Now there isn’t a doubt captured in a darkness that makes me take my focus from what the painting is trying to say. This lightness and clarity allows the painting to fully convey itself now. And I think that makes this a better piece.
Redtree Times 