Cotswolds Apples – Oil on panel, 5 x 7 inches
Currently up for auction, click here to bid
I was about to hit the publish button, but I just couldn’t do it.
Making something new public is always at least a little nerve-wracking for me. But it’s very rare that I actually stop myself doing it.
I have a rule of thumb that I should hit publish whether I’m happy or not, because I never really am.
It might be a blog post. In which case I usually want to spend longer on it because I think I might not have got the ideas across clearly enough.
Or it might be a painting, as it was here.
How do you decide when a painting is finished?
I’d done three sessions on it, which is usually enough for me to be fairly happy with a painting.
But for some reason, even though I’d signed and photographed this one, and set up the auction, I just couldn’t do it. It just wasn’t ready to put out into the world yet.
I knew I could make it better with a bit more work.
What happened next is that I put it back on the easel, set the cameras up and hit record.
And this video is the result. It’s a record of what was going through my head as I was trying to work out what I need to do to take this painting a bit further, to become – I suppose – happier with the result.
Just get to the easel
I really, really didn’t feel like working that day.
I don’t know about you, but every now and again I have a day where I feel so low I can hardly get myself into the studio. I don’t know where it comes from. I wish it wouldn’t come at all.
But it does. Less often these days, but I know that every now and again I’ll really struggle. And the only way I know to deal with it is to just get started.
I don’t always manage it. This video is of one of the days when I did. It was streamed live on facebook at the end of last week.
Mostly this is a video of me thinking out loud while I paint. I had a separate camera on the palette and managed to get both into the stream at once, which makes it a lot more informative I think.
If you want to be in with a chance of catching one of these streams (I usually do at least one a week, when I’m on a roll) then you can follow me on facebook here.
Also, here’s a pic of the painting at an earlier stage. You can see the raw umber and black underpainting I usually start with now, in the background.
I’ve filmed the whole process of painting this one too, which will be coming out soon as a complete video – along with excerpts from the live stream. I hope having both, some edited video and some more off-the-cuff live footage where I talk as I paint, will help give a clearer picture of how I go about putting together my little paintings these days.
The video should be out sometime in the next few weeks. It will be part of a new subscription thing I’m bringing out soon, which will cover both sides of being an independent artist making a living online – the art part (like, the painting) and the online part (like, running a website and building an audience).
I’m getting ahead of myself though! Stay tuned and I’ll have more on that soon.
Best wishes and thanks for reading.
Paul
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Hi Paul, this is an awesome painting and I keep learning from you so much. It can’t get any better then this.
Cheers
Helga
Paul, I am a huge fan and I am so grateful for your honestly!
Brilliant painting. Thank you for sharing the difficulties and doubts, they gift us voyeurs with a touch of your ultimate victory. I selfishly hope it doesn’t go through the roof in the auction, I’d really like to buy it! But of course, it will, and it should
Thanks Mateo, I’m very glad you like it!
I can’t believe the timing of this post. I am actually having one of those days right now. In fact, this very moment I’m feeling a bit sick to my stomach with angst over a life-drawing group I’m about to attend. While of course I don’t want you to have bad days, it is nice to know I’m not alone in this . Thanks for sharing!
And, as always, the painting is absolutely beautiful!
I deeply admire your openness and honest approach to your technique and thought process as you create these amazing pieces ..You have a fan here and as always look forward to seeing more! Well done !!!