March, 2010

Artists want to get a painting right the first time around. We dread the thought of creating art that doesn't meet our expectations, yet it's often with great reluctance that we wipe away a disappointing painting and start over.

Unlike the banking system, our pieces aren't too big to fail. Placing very high value on a work in progress or falling in love with a particular detail makes it hard to rub out and begin again - but better results may follow if we have the volition to scrape off and repaint when we hit a dead end.

When in doubt, wipe it out; remove sections that are problematic or wipe out the entire image. Recently, after removing one part of a painting that was troubling me, I realized it had been too large in relation to the rest of the picture. I repainted the image in a reduced size and the painting looked much better.

Starting over doesn't mean failure; it's really a plan for achieving success.

Remember to send in your entries for the SPS 14th International Juried Exhibition - the deadline is March 20.

Sincerely,
Evelyn M. Breit, President SPS