Ch Ch Changes

"All children are artists.  The problem is how to

remain an artist once you grow up."

and

"The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls."

Picasso

I thank you for the wonderful responses I got to my plea for patience as I try to find my way (again).  Encouragement, confidence, recommendations and understanding all flowed in from readers who "had been there" or simply understood.  Those words meant a lot, I'll be rereading them in the months to come as I wander and wonder what is ahead.  THX!

And as long as we are thinking about changes, and while I had the gumption that 

something radical had to happen quickly...I pulled down a piece I did in January 2016 that just never hit the mark.

I wrote about this piece in a "never say never" blog.  I love the colors, I liked the subject matter but why, oh why, do I have half a bovine walking off the upper left quadrant?  Had it been canvas I might have sliced and diced but I also knew that the remaining cow could stand a little more meat on his bones.

I printed a photo of the piece and with colored pencils begin to cover up the left cow just to get an idea of how much space I might have after "erasing" it.  There was room for something else so I went ahead and painted out the offending rear end.

And it sat just like this for days and days waiting for an inspiration.  A barn? a fence? so I went hiking and wouldn't you know, another up-close and personal confrontation with a field of cows.  They were docile so I tested my luck and being alone, took many more photos of the one subject I swore I'd never paint.

As I began sketching in the young friend here on the left I also made adjustments to the original cow.  This was one of those "nothing to lose" experiences since the first attempt was a dust gatherer as it was.  "Just go for it, learn something," I said.

So I did.

I'm liking it so much better.  It may hang around while I decide whether or not I am finished.  The younger cow on the left might need to become stronger but I also think its nice to make one of them more dominant in emphasis.  At least I got rid of the cow who was trying to leave the scene.  I relearned a very elementary composition rule that it always helps to be reminded of.  AND I proved that I could radically change a piece with very little harm done.  Whew.  Not as bad as I had dreaded.

Good lesson.

Wonder what else is gathering dust and could use a make-over?

Empowered by Color,

Cindy

p.s. I have no idea why there are several fonts and alignment changes in this piece.  The computer got ahead of me and would not conform.  Sorry!