Tuesday, April 12, 2016

"Brunch", Pastel, 7 1/2" x 10", painted on UArt 400

I haven't been painting in quite a while, which has me very frustrated.  After being nagged by a dear friend to "just paint", I did just that, I painted.

This is an egg cup that I purchased many years ago with the intention of using it in a painting.  I rather like it, the design is fun.  I started this painting out with fabric under the cup.  I wasn't happy with where it was going, so I switched the fabric.  I was still unhappy, and I was unsure why..... After staring at the painting for hours, it became obvious to me that the fabric was fighting for attention with the egg.  My eye didn't know where to go, it was confused.  I wiped out the fabric entirely, and just painted the surface with the reflection.  I was able to get the drama and lighting I was looking for, and the focal point was the egg, eggactly what I was looking for!!

Moral of the story, just because you put something in a painting, it doesn't mean it has to stay there.  Paintings talk to you (at least mine do), they tell you what they need (or in this case, don't need).  Just because I spent quite a lot of time painting that fabric didn't mean it had to stay.  To the contrary, it needed to leave.  Never be so attached to something just because you spent soooo much time painting it.  If it doesn't work, remove it.  Never leave something there at the expense of the painting.  Just my two cents.....

"Brunch", Pastel
7 1/2" x 10", Painted on UArt 400
Ludwig, Girault, Great American and Mount Vision Pastels
with a Pan Pastel underpainting
© by Christine DiMauro, all rights reserved

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