Not Knowing...

There are often moments in the process of painting where I'm unsure of the direction I am headed, which makes it wonderful to work on several canvases at the same time as problems I am bumping into on one is often resolved as I work on another.  It seems my brain keeps working on each piece even if I don't physically work on them.  But this canvas has had me stumped every step of the way.  Just when I think I'm moving forward, I take a step back and realize that I'm not.  I'm glad that this isn't the case with most of the work I do, but rather a hiccup along the road. 

These are the times I pull out previous paintings or, since everything is currently packaged and ready to ship, at photos of previous work to remind myself of what worked and why...is it the colour palette, the contrast, the patterns - not enough repeat or too much - or composition?  It's also a good time to flip my canvas to its side or upside down or look at it in a mirror to view it from a different perspective.  And if I'm still stuck, I lean it against my studio wall facing away from me, and let it rest for awhile before returning to it once again.