I See

Yesterday morning, I started with painting the person looking out into the woods. After that, I bounced around. While I liked the person, I didn't like what I added after that.

I gessoed over the area of the path and walked away.

Last night, I went down to finish. Something clicked. I kept looking at the person thinking that he turned out and all I had to do was imply the shapes, values, and colors of the different parts of the person. I thought “why can’t I do that with the rest of the scene”. Why does my brain go into this whirling vortex of overdrive when faced with a whole rather than focused on one small part? After that, it felt like I got out of my own way and I could finally see things like how the path curved in the photo. The different parts and pattern were visible to me. While they were always there, I could finally start to see them. Even better when my hubby got home and I showed him the painting, he could identify the person I painted!

#226 - Looking Into The Woods - 6" x 6" - hardboard

Sometimes I feel like a need a better or an updated manual on how my brain and eyes work.