Looking back at Spring

I am working on a new piece, a painting of Laudholm in the spring, kids playing in the front, beautiful sky, great light, nice greens and it’s beginning to frustrate me.  I go through this when I work.  It’s a real love hate relationship.  I’m sure I hate the work so I have to walk away.  When I come back it’s not so bad and I can continue to work.  It happens in both the oil and the sumi ink/watercolor.  I don’t know if other artists do this but for me it’s critical that I know when to walk away.  I’ll be sure the piece sucks, I’ll want to scrape it all down or crumble the paper up and toss it.  I hate it.  When I come back later I’m usually glad I didn’t chuck it. 

Lots of things can set me off, not capturing the right color, the shadow, composition really anything that doesn’t feel right.  I expect to get everything right the first time out, why not!!  I can paint over the oil after it dries if I need to, the sumi ink it’s a bit trickier.  I can take some of the ink out but it never really leaves the paper all together, that’s one of the reasons I do drawings first.  They can frustrate me too because I just want to be painting but better the figure out where the problems are before adding paint.  Patience is certainly something I continue to learn.  Breathe and enjoy the process.  Sometimes I forget that and just want to get the painting done.  Why?  I have to keep asking myself.  Isn‘t the point to just paint.  Ah yes Jackson Pollack!!!  His paintings, as I learned in Art History class in college, were a record of the process of painting.  If only!!