DARE TO FINISH
This is an older piece. It has been hanging on a wall in my house for several years. I passed by it the other day and saw it in a whole new light. I think it is going to become an inspiration piece for a new set of paintings. I thought I would share it with you. 22”x 15”, acrylic and charcoal on paper. © 2019 David Limrite
“The mysterious flow of creativity can be primed like a pump by physically (and emotionally) planting yourself in the physical space where you want that energy to flow.”
Twyla Tharp, Choreographer
Dare To Finish
Last week I talked about how important it is to “begin”. To show up at the easel and begin. Start making something. Anything.
Equally important is the ability to “finish”. That is, to proclaim that a painting is finished. For now. So that you can move on.
I know that many artists believe that a painting is never finished, and that may be true, however, if not finishing a painting turns into a procrastination technique, in order to not have to go through the difficulty of beginning a new painting, then we have a problem.
Proclaiming a painting finished can actually be kind of scary. It may seem as if you are telling yourself, and the world, that you have created something brilliant and that there is nothing more that you can do to make it any better. It may also seem as if you are shouting out loud that you are an amazing artist. How egotistical. {Smile}.
Finishing a painting doesn’t necessarily mean that it is a masterpiece. It just means that it’s time to move on. This painting is finished for now. Learn from it and paint another.
Proclaiming that a painting is finished could mean many things. Maybe you are bored with it or tired of working on it. Maybe you have lost your enthusiasm and motivation for creating it. Maybe you received a new idea for your next painting that you are really excited about and eager to explore. Maybe you achieved the goals that you set for this painting and are ready to explore another solution for the same idea.
Finished does not necessarily mean finished.
It could be that it is just finished for now. You can always go back into a finished painting.
Not having the guts to finish a painting and begin another can actually set you back and stunt your growth as an artist.
The point here is that finishing is important in order to perpetuate momentum and inspiration.
Dare to finish and be a better artist for doing so.
Best,
David
[NEW WORKSHOPS]
PERMISSION TO EXAGGERATE
(Atascadero, San Luis Obispo County)
For the workshops below, you may enroll in one or both days in each month.
DAY 1: Saturday, April 13
During Day 1, you will focus on creating more dynamic figure drawings by exaggerating the movement of the entire pose while capturing the movement in your drawings.
(20-minute poses from a live model)
Tuition $155, Maximum 10 Artists
Click to Enroll
DAY 2: Sunday, April 14
Day 2 focuses on exaggerating the contours (or what I call “topography”) of the figure in a pose. You will learn how to take advantage of the curves, straights, sharp angles and round corners that present themselves.
(One-hour poses from a live model)
Tuition $155, Maximum 10 Artists
Click to Enroll
PUSHING VALUE & PLAYING WITH COLOR
(Atascadero, San Luis Obispo County)
For the workshops below, you may enroll in one or both days in each month.
DAY 1: Saturday, June 28
During Day 1, you will explore achieving a range of values in your drawings and/or paintings. The focus will be on getting to black and preserving white. You will practice holding onto the large dark and light shapes and orchestrating the subtle values in each shape.
(One-hour poses from a live model)
Tuition $155, Maximum 10 Artists
Click to Enroll
DAY 2: Sunday, June 29
Day 2 will be all about playing with color. You will explore taking advantage of color, value, temperature and saturation while having fun with warm & cool, complementary, bright & dull, and arbitrary color.
(One-hour poses from a live model)
Tuition $155, Maximum 10 Artists
Click to Enroll