Rosie Revisited

Share the Struggle

I had a wonderful painting instructor whose pithy 

comments still come me.

"Let them see the struggle,"

she urged, whenever I got a tad tight and hung up on

photorealistic details.  "It is far more interesting to view."

Her comment played loud and clear to me this week as I worked on my "Rosie" painting below.  A friend had posed for the redeux and I was feeling uptight about making it look exactly like Monique.  A tall order for a non-portrait artist.  But as "Rosie" revealed herself on canvas I began to like the sketchy-ness of it, the moving lines, the odd colors.  When people dropped by the studio they always paid their respects to Rosie aka Monique with a variety of interesting observations and stories. 

early stages

I began to relax into it remembering (top secret here) that she was being painted on top of a painting that I was retiring...an effort to remind myself that it was all play here, no huge investment other than learning energy.

So I am laying down the brush on her for now.

It may be finished unfinished.

But sharing the struggle is significant.

"Unfinished Business"

oil, 24 x 18, available unframed

A lot of folks I know are mulling over their own unfinished business and it occurs to me that too often we try to hide the struggle, to appear as if there are not hurdles and obstacles and setbacks along the way.  Let's share the struggle, it may prove much easier.  At the very least, as my instructor promised, it will be a lot more interesting.

Color Fully Yours,

Cindy