Wednesday, May 28, 2008

First, for everyone who has been asking... I took the 'Heather' painting to Phil today, It's been very gratifying to find out just how many people have been watching the progress of this painting. Thank you all, for all of the encouragement. I must admit that I took much longer to get this painting to the point where I was ready to let it go, one: it had to be perfect, and two: I had to be ready to sever the emotional attachment and move on.
I mentioned last time that I was doing some re-working of an older painting, It's in at the framers now, when I get it back next week, I'll give you the before and after thingy.
I learned a valuable lesson with this painting (the one I re-worked).
I go to a critique/studio group The group is usually lead by an accomplished artist who mentors us and teaches.
On this particular day we had no one, so a couple of the gals decided to do the critique. Now critique is a very fine skill, it's tempting to some, to nit pick, or to criticize in a non helpful, sometimes mean spirited way. My husband says it's jealousy, I don't like to think that, but...
anyway, they started in on this painting, it's called Venus in Pearls, by the way, Her eye was too big, her nose was too defined, her hair was to undefined, the back ground was garish... you get the picture. In jest, at lest I choose to believe it was a joke, one of them said "I'd just burn it."
I was just about in tears, the next day the same group met again, this time the mentor/teacher was there, so I asked for his critique. 'They' started in on it again, and he said... " it has a very old master feel".
Now any sensible person would feel vindicated and leave it alone... Not me. I took it home and tried to correct the things 'they' said were wrong. I ruined it.
So it sat in the back of my closet for over a year, until now. Once again it is wonderful, Once again the nit pickers and nay sayers started in on it, but I learned and I'm leaving it alone.

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