finishing

(1) unfinished last October, still unfinished, 5 x 6')

(2) 4 paintings almost finished-- verrrry close)


It's all about finishing, now.

We'll be receiving visitors for Open Studios two weeks from today, so it's more than time to take a look around the studio at the many 85% finished pieces, and say, which of these can I reasonably expect to have finished in the next 2 weeks? What will I display (on the somewhat limited wall space) ? How will it all look together? How is it different from what was on display the last time people were here, for ArtTrails? ie: what have I accomplished on the past 7-8 months? What was unfinished then, that's STILL unfinished?...

Starting & finishing paintings require very different kinds of energy/focus. In the beginning there's much more excitement-- having an idea and wanting to see how it plays out-- the possibilities are so open. By the end, there are a just a few decisions to be made, and you feel like you have to really be 'on' to get them just right... If it weren't for deadlines and shows, who knows how many paintings would truly get 'resolved'.

I haven't written about this here before, but some of you out there know that I've been having some medical issues over the past couple of months, time consuming with many appointments & tests, but mentally/emotionally distracting as well (and still ongoing)... So, while I certainly haven't accomplished all that I hoped I might by this time (where, after all, IS that website?) I'm trying to cut myself some slack & not stress out too much.