Well, this was interesting. Hah! I suppose I could dabble with this for another day or so, but I’m calling it done. Some might say the background is too busy, too complicated. But hey – Kehinde Wiley gets away with it! And I kind of like the contrast of the “calm, simple roses” versus the spotty, busy background. This painting was an experiment. Remember how it looked on day 1?
I remember taking a workshop with Clyde Aspevig years ago. He was doing a plein air landscape demonstration for the class. Near the end of it, he was apparently dissatisfied with it when he turned around and said, “This is where a beginner would quit — but I know how to fix it.” When I started painting in the background I wasn’t entirely sure if it’d be good — or horrid. I think it worked out OK.
I worked on the assembly line at Ford Motor Assembly Line for about 30 years. At the start of each model year, an engineer or two would watch each employee do their job, making sure it was done to “specs”. One was watching me closely as I fumbled with my tools. I turned around and said, “The first 100,000 are the hardest. After that it’s a SNAP!” Painting is kind of like that, too.
Margie Guyot Art 