I pulled this off the shelf the other day, meaning to photograph it and put it on my neglected website (www.ingridchristensen.com, if you’re wondering😁) I realized that it wasn’t what it could, or should, be and that it needed work. Here’s its original state:
It had some good moments and was an honest attempt to capture the anemones on a cool day - as I recall - in spring. But it wasn’t a good painting.
I’m a harsh critic when it comes to my work and I always ask myself if I’d want a particular painting on my wall. If the answer is no, it’s fair game for revisions.
In this case, I liked the mark making, and variety of colourful greys. I also liked the warm/cool contrast of colour and the sense that the blooms were moving in the breeze. It was an honest record of the day. But, in my critic’s mind, I always refer to Richard Diebenkorn’s 10 Rules of Painting:
Pretty much all of these applied, especially #4. Considering the fresh qualities expendable is a big step in moving a painting forward. Interestingly, I’ve always thought that it was Diebenkorn who said you have to be willing to kill your darlings, but a google search attributes it to William Faulkner. It’s appropriate, nonetheless. Nothing should be off limits, no matter how much a particular brushstroke or colour interaction appeals to me.
What bothered me the most, was the overall coolness of the piece. Our eyes are attracted to warmth, and this didn’t have enough of it. It felt imbalanced.
Deciding to go big or go home (rule #6), I scumbled over the whole painting with a warm mixture of terra rosa, raw sienna, and likely some other colours, as well. There might be a touch of alizarin in there…
I admit to wondering if it was dead at this point, but that’s a good feeling since it means that there’s nothing left to lose.
I placed my lightest light and restated that dark purple in the background, and then began laying in a variety of cool greys. I used a lot of mars black in the grey mixtures but, because of complementary interaction, they look very blue and surprisingly high chroma in their orange setting.
I like how this turned out. It’s lost something of the day, but gained a lot of depth and variety. It passes the “would I put it on my wall” test and will go up on the website.
Happy painting!
Nothing like waking up on a nice quiet Sunday Morning and opening my email to “kill your darlings!”
LOL Great hook for a post’s title. I knew where you were going Ingrid and always appreciate the insights you share on your painting journey. I also always enjoy your artist references to support your post’s topics…looking forward to the next post and guest artist! Thank you Ingrid for the posts, insights, teaching and beautiful work.
Thank you for your always wise words of wisdom. Love this painting! Its beautiful. I love how you captured the light, and the warmth of the scene. (I’d hang it on my wall!!!) I appreciate your posting on your painting process and the things you consider when designing a painting. Always enjoy reading (and learning from) what you are saying.