About a year ago, I wrote out a list of 30 paintings I wanted to do based on my favorite theme of pairing birds with human objects. I made thumbnail sketches for a few and then got to work painting in the backgrounds for six of them. I thought that by doing the background for several at a time, I would be able to crank out enough pieces for a solo show rather quickly. What I hadn't considered was that I might become disenchanted with a composition before I have a chance to finish it. I might want to change the way I approach the subject or the background.
Growing means changing how we do things and sometimes we just have to give ourselves permission to outgrow an idea. Needless to say, it felt too much like an assembly line, and those same six paintings sat unfinished on my drying rack. Every time I got a fresh idea or learned a new skill, they looked more and more immature to me. Worse, there was the pull of guilt like when there are dirty dishes waiting in the sink; I knew I should finish them before starting on any more, but I dreaded it.
Yesterday, I made a decision. I was either going to paint over them and start all over, or rework them if I still liked the basic composition.
Therefore "Thirsty Jaybird" (above), is getting a complete makeover. I'm repainting the background, refining the crooked ellipses and spending a little more time and care on the reflections in the glass. I'll let you know when it's finished.
