Painting Process 10: The Finale
Red Cabbage, 2006, oil on canvas, 12 x 16 inches
I must say there were times I doubted myself and this painting, and came very close to leaving it unfinished. But I decided to keep working on it and not let it beat me. Finally, after posting so many stages of the process I can say "this painting is done." A year and a half ago I had painted the very same image in a smaller scale. I was pleased with the result but not happy. At that moment I accepted the painting as it was since I had just started painting representationally for the first time after three years of abstraction. I felt it turned out cramped and decided to repaint it in a larger scale and give it more air. What I didn't realize, or admit to myself, was that the composition was not good. Everything was huddled up together and having a potato in back of the cabbage did not do anything flattering to the painting. I needed the viewer to read the painting from left to right and the size and placement of the potato was more of a block. In the end I painted over the potato thus eliminating it from the composition forever.
After making the decision to paint out the potato I was left with the dilemma of placing something else in its place. This is when things got scary and work stopped for a while. I'm not one to sketch out compositions before hand, I usually work out the problems as I paint. But this time I needed all the help I could get. Two days ago on my way to work I decided to use the free time in my train ride to do a few sketches in my Moleskine and try to work out the problem. I thought I had come to the answer by adding a table cloth diagonally and placing a halved tomato in front left of the cabbage. Plans changed when I sat down to paint. Instead, I went with my original idea of painting a head of garlic. When I embarked on this "Painting Process" series I did not imagine that it would take ten postings. But with painting you never know what's going to happen. Some pieces are completed quickly, they flow out naturally; and some others, like this one, take their time and sweat. I hope I didn't bore any of you with this series. If I did you will be happy to know, as I am, that this is finished.
Comments
Thank you!
Luis
Thanks for the nice compliment on my limes. I actually try to make sure my work looks painterly but I'm still stuck in my old illustrator ways. I'm trying to loosen up but I'm wired in such a way that I'm compellled to render...but only if I start the painting that way. It's a crazy process, and I'm still trying to figure it out. Check out my Where's the Mustard painting...It's closer to what I want to paint like, and it started out with that brushwork, and I was able to maintain it for some reason without going back in and cleaning up the shapes and strokes.
keep painting,
Mick MCGinty
Mick
Luis
ksklein I agree with you 100%. I'm one of those people who don't care about how long it takes to make a piece of art, all that matters is that it's good.