Last week I posted images showing the first stage sketches of four new paintings and promised I’d post the finishes. I am still working on one but these three are finished and off to galleries to find their forever homes. [gdl_gallery title="july_finishes" width="280" height="280" ]
I had reported in the previous week’s post that I was having trouble focusing on studio work after weeks of painting outside, so I set about the task of making several starts to get the juices flowing. I actually work this way in general, though, but usually in varied stages. At any given moment I have several canvases in the works ranging from sketches and middle stages to near finished and final touches. Sometimes I feel like starting, but other times it is more gratifying to finish those “stumpers” that have been hanging around in limbo. The whole point for me is to have a system of painting where each level of inspiration is fed. Working this way creates a rhythm in my work and lends to more productivity.
Soon I am leaving town again for more outdoor painting and to teach a workshop, but I am feeling really good about my recent respite indoors. I look forward to bringing back more inspiration to reflect upon in my comfy (and air conditioned) studio.
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.
-Aristotle