I've been reading a "how-to" book for writers, curious about whether their process compares with the ways painters work. The mantra of this manual is "edit, edit, edit." I was thinking about that lesson, and about how difficult it is to communicate the simple but powerful things I see (like marsh grass lit by the last of the day's sun) as I was painting this.
3 comments:
Simplify,Simplify,Simplify
Susan,
Always enjoy your watercolor paintings. Nice to see your use of oil paint.
This is a very interesting point. When I've written for publication, there was an editor who went through the prose to clarify and clean it up. There's no equivalent in painting; we'd be horrified if a gallery dealer were to try to constructively criticize our work. Our self-editing as painters comes through the process of painting and repainting, or in culling unsuccessful studies.
Also be edit I mean just trying to paint the essential, original visual idea, and keep hold of that first emotion.
Post a Comment