Failed!

Photo by Gladys Jimenez, Tallahassee FL

"Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly". — Robert Kennedy


Hello Beautiful Art Friends,

I began a new painting based on the photograph above, which I took while in Tallahassee FL. I was so excited about capturing it's essence but I failed. You may not believe this but this is the first time I attempted to do a painting that I just couldn't get it to work. In the past I had talked to other artist who used to say their painting was not working and I couldn't understand what they meant but now I do.  Perhaps I was not challenging myself enough.

I worked on this painting for three days using oil on canvas and today I just wiped the entire canvas, smudging all the paint I had applied on it for the last three days. I was just not working. Too many trees and detailed branches, so much texture to capture and I just couldn't really see the entire image.  For some strange reason it didn't click for me. You see, usually I see an image and it's like jigsaw puzzle in my mind, I know which piece I'm going to paint first and then the next one, until it all falls into place, but I couldn't see the pieces on this photograph. One of my art teachers used to comment on how I see things because my paintings were always different than the rest of the class. But this is how I did and continue to see things.

I did learn during the process, and though I failed at my first attempt on an 18"x24" canvas, I am not giving up.  I am going to attempt doing it on an 8"x10" canvas tomorrow. You are probably thinking that it will be harder on a smaller canvas but I'm going to work with the shapes first, then the details, the  way I was taught in school where you cut in the dark, medium, and light shapes first.

So I'm off to the art supply store to get gesso so I can gesso the entire canvas I originally used for this painting and this way I can use it for another painting. Or may be even the same painting, after I do the smaller version.

And what if I can't make it work still? Well, at least I took a photograph that I absolutely love, that captured the essence of the place :)


With Love,
Glad

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