Solve the Problem

We have all heard the term about "painting yourself into a corner." I do it often, literally. Regardless of whether I'm working on a large or small painting, abstract or landscape, a problem arises that needs to be solved. This is probably one of my favorite things about painting...solving the problem. The problem is often of my own doing, but sometimes is inherent in the photo or scene or still life I have chosen to do. I love to cash in on my "artistic license" and eliminate something entirely or move something around. Artists have been doing this for ages, long before Photo Shop did it for photographers.
I don't always see ALL of the problems in a piece of work and I surely am getting better at seeing what I have messed up or need to fix. But there was a time when I was in high school that I didn't really see the problems at all. Why did I need to see problems? I was just getting started.
But like anything else, the better you get at something, the more you understand the subtle nuances that you would have missed in your beginning endeavors. Is this wisdom? old age? training the eye? All of the above?
Yes.
There are those that are infinitely more gifted than I am that surely developed the ability early on to see their work clearly and objectively. How lucky they are! There are those also that will never be able to see their work without adoring every little stroke and marveling at their own brilliance. How sad. Most of us artists fall somewhere in between and our only hope is to continue to develop as artists and keep the paint flowing.
The oil painting above is 36x48, gallery wrapped, and titled "From a Distance".