Pulling a Thread

Have you ever pulled a loose thread thinking it would detach rather easily only it doesn’t?  Once you pull a thread, it causes something else to unravel. Before you know it, there’s a whole domino effect happening.  

Summer Breeze; 16” x 20”; acrylic on paper (Before)

I thought about naming this post “When a Painting Doesn’t Know When to Quit.”  The more I thought about it, however, I came to understand that a better name may be “When the Artist Doesn’t Know When to Quit.”  

During the transformation.

​What started out as a “simple” fix to a sky that I was less than satisfied with led to the addition of flowers, collage elements, a new mount, an isolation coat, and multiple layers of cold wax.  At any point in time, I could have given up and chalked the entire piece up to experience.  Experience is the best teacher after all.  

I actually do like the finished piece much more than the original, but it certainly took a lot longer.  Was it worth it? Should I have given up on the piece? I honestly and in all likelihood could have started from scratch and finished sooner than what this piece ended up taking.  But what would have been lost if I had? Sometimes, those loose threads and the process of unraveling can uncover or lead to something quite unexpected.  One thing is for sure, I experimented with this piece and combined techniques that I’ve learned over time.  Some worked out and others didn’t. Without pulling that thread, I am not sure if I would have ever tried combining some of the techniques in which I did for this type of painting. 

Wind Blown; 16” x 20”; mounted to cradled board with cold wax finish

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Back to the question…uh questions.  Was it worth it? Yes. Always yes. Should I have given up on the piece?  That one is a little more difficult to answer. Probably, but I think it could be both at the same time.