Beyond

During this quarantine, I have been working with some reference images to maintain a routine of daily painting. I came across a compelling image by photographer Lana Graves and made some initial sketches. The original image had tattoos,lace, and patterns. It was an incredible shot, but as I began to move away from the original image, there was a growing need to simplify things.  Given the stark contrast in life right now, this rendering felt more attuned to the current times. I had started this painting some time ago with great energy, but it has been sitting incomplete between some commission work.  There were things about it that kept me from feeling it was resolved. Things that are sometimes easy for me to render were becoming difficult.  The more I tweaked it, the more elusive it became.  Sometimes,  artists must separate from their work.  This distance allows us to see more clear.  But in this case, the elusiveness of this painting remained. I always feel at some point paintings take on a life of their own.  Maybe this particular painting did not want to be changed anymore. As painters our touch can create, but we can also destroy... and we constantly struggle to know the difference.