Autumn Harvest With China, 24 x 30 oil painting
“Scrapers” happen in an artist’s life. You invest time and materials into a painting only to throw it a way. They serve a purpose as mileage (the number of paintings an artist completes) is critical to one’s overall growth. So, there is that fine line between giving up because it’s a scraper, overworking a painting because you don’t know when to quit, and perseverance.
This large 24 x 30 still life from life consumed much of the last week of my life. In addition to the actual paint time, there were the thoughts of what was missing. Over time, I added the third Haviland China bowl on the right side of the painting. This china has special significance as it was a gift from my in-laws and was purchased at the Limoges, France factory in the 1960s. The sunflower on the table was also added after a waking up in the middle of the night thinking about this painting. It also took several days to truly soften the edges throughout the painting and add thick paint in interest areas of the painting. I’m so pleased I persevered and am proud of the final outcome. What tips do you have to balance these three aspects (scape it, overwork it, persevere) in your art work?
