This is a lesson I’m trying to learn. So far, without much success.
I’m not talking about a life lesson. In life, it’s often “When you don’t know what to do next, fake it till you make it.” Works surprisingly well, that. Maybe not in nuclear physics or brain surgery. But in plenty of other things.
Still, when I read that “STOP” advice in a how-to-do-art book, I laughed and knew it was aimed right at me.
In art, my pattern when something’s not right and I don’t quite understand what to do about it is to try to fix just one little thing. And one more little thing. Then one more little thing. And then really, I’m going to stop after just trying to fix one more little thing. And I’ve washed up my paint trays and put everything away. But now I’ve noticed just one more little thing that really, really, really, really needs fixing. Just one little thing. Honest. Then I’ll stop.
And of course the little fixes never actually fix anything, but only make things muddy, labored, and overworked. Which is why the picture below is cropped in so tight. I’m getting rid of all those little fixes and preserving the one part that’s actually (blessedly) underworked.
When something’s wrong, better to walk away from it and try anew than to keep laboring at it.
(BTW, while it’s usually click-to-embiggenate, in this case you may find that clicking is the only way to make the painting small enough to see all of it at once.)
Love it. Modigliani-esque. From me (fwiw), that’s high praise.
Claire – as a picture, what were you trying to accomplish?
The title of your post is most accurate in life! I don’t know about art per se, but I do know that fixing things one-piece-at-a-time is self-defeating: like government, you’ll end up with a whole ‘nother animal than what was intended. It’s better to paint over and start again.
“It’s better to paint over and start again.”
To elaborate: I think we frequently don’t know how to start over (myself included). We take what we know, what we’ve already learned or done, and continue forward from there. But that may be a mistake. We should maybe go back to square-one and rethink the problem entirely (if that’s possible for humans to do).
If we work from what we know, and that knowledge is wrong, then we will continue down the same wrong path. Only inspiration will get us off that path, and inspiration only comes to those who are willing (and able) to think outside the box.
Unconsciously channeling Emily Dickinson, looks like to me.
There’s a Chinese concept, Wu Wei, I learned from a friend taking Chinese a long time ago. It means “inaction through inaction.”
fixing things one-piece-at-a-time is self-defeating: like government, you’ll end up with a whole ‘nother animal than what was intended.
Brilliant comment, Pat. When I posted, I wasn’t thinking about the larger (you’ll pardon the pun) picture. But thats so true. When something has fundamentally gone wrong, you can’t “fix” it, and government is a perfect example.
If we work from what we know, and that knowledge is wrong, then we will continue down the same wrong path. Only inspiration will get us off that path, and inspiration only comes to those who are willing (and able) to think outside the box.
And THAT is very heavy.
Inspiration is also a tricky business. It not only requires thinking outside the box, but often comes after we’ve beat our brains trying to do things inside or outside the box. Inspiration as in that idiot vision of an artist or poet wafting around, then suddenly being struck by brilliance is such a crazy delusion. Inspiration tends to strike those who’ve been working their ass off, not getting it right, then who step away for a while to let the brain ferment.
But that brings us back to the hard part: (in life, art, math, politics, etc.) how to know when to step away and let the mind do its unconscious work.
Thank you, AmericanBTGoG. It’s definitely“Mo’ Mo” though not consciously this time.
I also like Modigliani (both to view his paintings and to use those wonderful faces as inspiration) but I confess that’s at least in part because what he did is a lot easier than doing “real” faces. It’s labor to try to capture a realistic likeness. It’s more like play to do a Modigliani face.
Plus there’s a kind of spirituality, an ethereal quality, to a “Mo” face that appeals to me.
Steve — I like wu wei. Reminds me of a Hindu concept I learned long ago (and have written about before): “to contend without contending.”
It’s weird that you should mention Emily Dickinson, though. Because the last art experiment I tried (which was an unfinished mess, so I never posted it) was of Dickinson. I may yet go back to that one.
I made myself re-do this one, allowing myself no time to overwork it. The rules were: I had half an hour once the drawing was on paper and I could only paint any given area once (twice for shadows).
I’m not saying it’s good. It’s not. It’s strictly amateur. But’s NOT OVERWORKED. 🙂
http://www.clairewolfe.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/MaryPaintandPencil-ReDone-SMALL_042417.jpg
There are elements I like about this one, and about the other. Now, if only I could do a whole “just right” one …
That’s a different woman – in fact she’s almost a girl. I think your best work is when you paint fast and “intuitively” (or not ‘overworked’, as you say).
Again – what are you striving for, here?
“Again – what are you striving for, here?”
I haven’t answered that question because I don’t know. And the realization that I don’t know has given me considerable pause. I spent part of the morning writing out things that came to mind when I asked myself your question (asked it not about this particular piece but about what, in general, I think I’m doing).
Mostly, right now, I’m just messing around. Playing with techniques and subject matter. Just making myself do art every day so I get in the habit of it. Trying things I haven’t tried before or trying to do better at things I have tried. Learning to make a habit of doing this so even when I’m discouraged and think what I do is crap I’ll keep on keeping on.
But for this particular piece and its two versions? Not a clue. I’m glad you asked. But … not a clue.
Good answer! 🙂 It’s the journey that counts… and it will eventually get you there.
Jeez, I typed it wrong, maybe you figured it out, Wu Wei is “action through inaction”.😖
FWIW, I think the painting is fine. But the discussion reminds me of the Ansel Adams quote, “[T]here’s nothing worse than a clear picture of a fuzzy idea.”
Claire,
When I first met C, I asked her how she knew when a piece was done. I’m not sure if she was the first to say it, but she told me “art is never truly finished, it’s abandoned”.