After my wife and I went to a small local gallery this week and seeing some well done work I thought about submitting my work to a local gallery. But then I thought, my work is not ready for a gallery and it some cases it’s quite terrible. I don’t attribute this to my lack of current ability, no the real culprit is apathy.
For too long I have neglected the end result in my paintings, with a few exceptions. For the most part I have been repeating the same process and even the same mistakes time and again with no clear goal with each painting. Although I have put much effort in the last few paintings before this one but I still feel they have lacked a finish that is necessary for a gallery wall. I never really saw the importance in it actually. I hope to change all that starting with this painting.
First, I simplified my subject down to one simple object on a plane. Then before I even touched a brush I thought about what I wanted to achieve with this painting, a goal. I pictured the finished painting in my mind and then began to make note of all that was necessary to build the image in my head. I noted the direction of the light, the extremes in values, the subtle values, the shape, placement on the canvas, extremes in edges, the subtle edges and finally the colors.
Throughout the painting I envisioned it on a wall in a gallery being viewed by any number of people, I held myself accountable with this vision. Every decision was measured against my original ideal of the painting and the realization that this could be seen by hundreds if not thousands of people. I’m not sure what they would think, but I know for damn sure that I want them to see the best of me. Well, at least the best I have to offer at this stage in my life.
