Monday, September 20, 2010

Painting Over a Painting and Killing It

On Friday last week, after we returned from our visit to City Park and were back in the studio, Adele came up to me and told me that she had painted over her painting from our excursion.
"Why?" I asked.
Adele went on to explain the flaws that she saw, things that she didn't thing would work and areas that it was just too late to fix.
I thought that it looked very nice, but I understood.
I have done the same thing. In fact, a few months ago, I "announced" to  the table we were all seated at that I was going to paint over a small floral that I had been working on, that I thought just wouldn't cut it. Sarah said, "Do you want us to tell you that you shouldn't do it?"
I told her no and meant it, but somehow "announcing" that you are about to kill your work is a little sad. You know that you struggled. You know that it simply wasn't going to be right and you know what you have to do. You kill it by painting over it and there is a little sadness because it's gone forever. Erased like it never existed. So you tell someone just because it still was yours, you tried, and it doesn't feel too good.
But you are a better painter for it.

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