Thursday, February 05, 2009

Throwing In The Towel

How often do you finally, after much effort, realize that what you are trying to create is just not happening? How long will you go before you finally "throw in the towel" ?????

After working on Ahab's Wife for nearly a week, I realized that it just wasn't going where I wanted and I wasn't able to see it coming to completion so I dumped it.

If you are an artist, do you experience frustration over not being able to create what you have envisioned? Do you even envision or do you just go with whatever comes out?

I often have the vision mentally and most times I am quite dissatisfied with the resulting product.

Maybe I'm going at this from the wrong angle. Am I trying to control the outcome too much? Should I even go into the project with an outcome in my mind????? Does that only set me up for failure (my own perceived failure that is) ??????

I've always held that "how you do anything is how you do everything"..................wow, what does that say about my art? my life? I have had a vision of what my life is going to be and most often feel failure and disappointment at what the reality is. High expectations? Over controlling?

I'm always the one to say "go with the flow", "it is what it is" but if how I do anything is how I do everything, then what I say and what I do are not in accord with one another.

So Ahab's Wife is now sanded down and ready for a new life......with some new found insight on my part.

Life 101 !!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I so totally get this and have thrown in lots of towels lately. As I mentioned in my blog knowing what I want the outcome to be never seems to be a good thing for me. I actually thought she looked lovely and I liked the writing behind her but sometimes it is best to start clean if you're not feeling it....
beth

Annie Coe said...

I have painted over many a painting. It is normal and nothing to worry over. Sometimes I have a vision, but mostly I just have a feeling and I start, I have had more failures when I have a vision first.

Unknown said...

Paula, I have found that when I don't like something I painted cause it is not what I had in mind, then someone else will come and just like it. Then I can look at it again with "other" eyes, less influenced by my own brain and let is be as it is.
I just like the painting as it is shown in your previous post. Its mysterious. And looks complete and his so very Paula!
love
Andrea

Andrea and Kim said...

Paula, call me slow, okay? My apologies for not catching up with you over here.

I completely understand trashing something, but I have to say I adore where this painting was headed...it was looking great. One thing I do is put the painting aside for a while, maybe show it on my blog to get some thoughts and maybe not.

One time I hated a painting so much and would not even share it on my blog...it was in the corner of shame without a doubt...I wouldn't even have it in the studio. The thing is I wasn't ready to paint over it, either. One day someone was visiting me and fell in love with it! They wanted it, they couldn't get enough of it. I hated it so much I was reluctant to let it out in public...but I did because she loved it (no not in the art field). So as Andrea says, you never know!

I painted over and reworked a lot, too, though.

Thanks for talking about this here.

Have a Great Weekend!