Is it ever really finished?

Blue sky of possibilities.

She needed to be seen.

Laying down the background.

They wait to be…

Playing with possibilities.

I have so many works around the studio in varying stages of completion that I always have choices. I work on a piece until I reach a stage where I have to sit with it live with it for awhile until inspiration hits and I can continue that particular journey again. The works wait stacked against the wall until inspiration or an impending exhibition draws me back to the beginnings that wait for completion.

Recently I have been playing with Golden sepia high flow acrylics and I love the effects it creates and feel as if it is extending my layering options. I love exploring new colours, mediums and materials as it inevitably opens up new possibilities and directions. I decided this effect could work on my mother and child image and allow me to keep the layers as an integral part of the piece. This was the thought that led me back to this particular work as sometimes I am unable to continue until the right approach appears. My real challenge here, is to stop before I destroy the impact of the layers and so allow the abstract qualities to carry the piece and strengthen it. It is too easy to keep going and lose the beauty that is there already. So I continued this piece and. Developed the third stage (pictured below) and could see that it was very close to completion.
All it needs now is a bit more contrast to bring out the girls hand and I also want the eyes to be more realistic as they are the connection in the gaze. So I will tweak it and see how it goes. Don’t want to touch the background as it seems to work as it makes the figures stronger and the small corner in the top right creates a nice balance with the hair patterns on the top left.
Wish me luck as I test my ability to stop. That is the eternal question: ‘When is it finished?’ When is a piece ever complete. Sometimes more is less and I need to step back and let the piece itself speak for itself