It is Friday. Typically most Fridays a friend visits my studio for lunch. He works full time and paints at home alone and likes to come visit myself and my other artist friends when he has the day off. He always walks away with new found motivation or inspiration and I am happy to comply! I think we all find this to be true. You can work on your own for so long before you crave the interaction with other like minded people. We lose sight of what it is we are trying to accomplish in our work and sometimes it takes a new pair of eyes to see something you don’t see anymore.
I am almost done with Jazz Hands VII but I have been at it for a long time with a hiatus in between. Honestly I just want to get it done. Because of that I found I was rushing through certain steps. Asking my two artist friends to critique it for me gave me new direction in some areas and reassurance that what I was feeling about the piece at the moment was correct. It still needed some tweaking. One artist friend suggested I place the canvas in a different light and re-evaluate it. The other artist friend told me my focal point was not reading as my focal point only because I hadn’t gotten out mid tones. Not enough light and not enough dark. Boom! That suggestion will surely help when I let it dry over the weekend and get back to work on it Monday and yes, finish it Monday.
The interaction occurred when his observation about my painting set off a dialogue in his head about a painting he is working on at home and thought was failing. What he told me to do was exactly what he needed to do when he got back to painting his piece. Critiquing had helped both of us in the end.
Yes it is great to be alone in your studio and your thoughts and getting in the groove of painting. However remember to get feedback at times. Remember to spend time with your artist friends. We all have something to give to each other.
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