Remember and Inspire.

It's sometimes hard to decide when a painting is finished or needs something more. Waiting a little and viewing something with fresh eyes helps. My studio has a drying rack where things hang until I decide whether to continue working on them or call them done, wait for them to dry, and offer them for sale on my website. Here's what's going on now.

Upper left:  "Ah, Chocolate" is reserved as a candidate for donating as a door prize at the Traverse City Chocolate Festival in early April. I may use this or paint something else. The blue butterfly needs to be brighter so it stands out from the box, I'm thinking.

Upper Middle: "A Thread Of Hope," so named by the buyer, was spoken for the minute she saw it on my drying rack.

Upper Right: "Thirsty"......Ahheeeeeeee still need to think on this one. I'm not quite sure what's bothering me about it. Oh well, can't win  them all.

Bottom Left: "Watching For Spring" was a tough one. It started out as a cardinal on a picket fence post, just like in the photo reference by Sheila Burnham. But I didn't want to simply re-create an image in a photograph in its entirety. It was better as a photograph. So I simplified by giving it a contrasting turquoise background. UGH! Worse! It sat there for more than three weeks. In the meantime, we here in SE Michigan were anxiously waiting for signs of spring. The temperature rose to a balmy 38 degrees ....and then it snowed and got really cold again. Oh joy. So I decided to let the red bird do my watching, infused it with my sentiments about the latest cold front with its flurries, and got bust painting other things. I'm calling it done.

Bottom Middle: I found this silver set at an estate sale many years ago. I trot it and all its friends out for special occasions like the annual Ladies' Christmas Tea and Thanksgiving. I get compliments on it every time it appears and have always wanted to do a painting of it. I love this all by itself, but I'm thinking I might want to add a butterfly...maybe in between the knife and fork. Still puzzling over this one.

Bottom Right: "Miss Manners," need I say more, is finished and just waiting to dry. If I change it at all, it would be to strengthen the colors on the butterfly so it stands out more from the napkin.

Well, there you have it....until tomorrow when I start three more.