Knowing When To Stop

Is it finished yet?  No.   Knowing when to stop, knowing when I've done everything I can to get my idea across in a painting without going overboard - can be a real problem for me.  I know it needs a little more contrast ...

but after years of creating finely detailed ink drawings like "Sunflower Forest" shown below,

sometimes it's hard to put the brakes on and keep myself from filling in all the negative space.

Come back later to see what happens with this dreamy little dragonfly.

In The Works

This is what I'm working on now.

More Happy Trees!!!!!!

It's not finished yet.  It needs more contrast and maybe some yellow at the top.  And then of course, I'll need a title for it.  This is on a 10" x 30" gallery wrapped canvas, which means you don't have to frame it - woo hoo!

In The Works

In the works in my dining room studio. I gave up a long time ago on having a formal dining room and just turned it into my studio.    Unfortunately, folks who don't know me and come to my front door hardly ever get to see my finished art.  Instead, they see things like this.

And I know they must wonder about me.

Backing up doesn't help.  You just see more stuff "in the works."

Sometimes I hang unfinished work on the wall - to study it and decide what to do next.  I forget it's hanging there until I catch a visitor looking at it and wondering if I'm crazy.

This morning it's really deep in here and I need to stop and dig my way out.

Every now and then it looks a little neater.

I have to stop and clean out a spot to take a photo.

Of course this is just the table top where I work.  You did notice that I didn't show the rest of my "studio" didn't you?