It’s a strange thing to decide when a painting is done. Sometimes a piece will sit in my studio for years and finally I will arrive at a conviction about what needs to be done, and do it. But was it the right choice? Was that part of the painting I changed actually the part that was lacking? There is no undo button in physical painting. And there is the ever-present fear of ‘overworking’ a piece to the point its initial spark is lost.

So here side by side are two paintings I thought were done, but then decided I wasn’t quite happy with. So I put them back on the easel and did my best. What’s your verdict? Improved? Indistinguishable? Lessened?

My own take is I don’t think either one was substantially improved. But in its own way, that’s an ending result just the same. It’s a way of finding out that “no – that painting was already about as good as it was going to get,” and now it is time to focus on trying anew.

Robert Henri in The Art Spirit says “every change must count, and count strong.” If you’re still making changes that don’t fit that criteria you risk “digression.”

Either way, the two paintings are now what they are (like I said, no going back), and these two plus a third will go up for auction at the Hudson Taconic Lands gala in October.

Meanwhile here are a few gouache pieces from our August trip to New Hampshire:

As always, thanks for following along and see you next time!