Do I Discard?

Something that I have always struggled with and have recently been reflecting on is when and if it is ever time to “throw in the towel” on a challenging or troublesome work-in-progress. I always assume I am no different from other artists when it comes to giving up on a piece of art that isn’t “co-operating”.  I don’t know what causes this moment of truth for others, but for me it comes slowly like an imminent Blue Norther storm.  I start to get irritated about something small like the scale or perspective, then the color palette is all wrong and finally the thought, “Why did I start this disaster in the first place?”    

Now comes the paradox – the paper and paints I use are not cheap and my up-bringing causes me to despise waste, thus starts the plodding on until I get up and walk away from the challenge.  Therein lies the secret, the mystery: why do these perceived “misfires” often become some of my best work?  I have some thoughts on this.

First, I have a fleeting attention span – I want to see progress from the beginning of every piece.  Don’t get me wrong, I expect challenges, but I have to see I am moving forward and I like to believe that I’ve answered the art piece’s toughest questions when I completed the preliminary sketch.  I don’t often anticipate the desire to trash a piece after I get started.

Another issue is critiquing my work – I’m terribly hard on myself and I give myself little room for error.  So, I start at a disadvantage until I reach that “AH HA!” moment that says, “I’m on the right path!”  In truth, I would be better off getting up and taking it to my wife Karen for a truly honest opinion.  She is my best critic and rarely pulls a punch as it relates to the quality of my work.

For me, the simple answer to this quandary is to walk away from the piece, do something else for a while and return with a clearer vision.  Of course in my case, I’ll probably stew about it the whole time, walking by the easel and fuming about the work stoppage until something catches my attention.  Maybe I see an error in perspective that I can fix.  Perhaps I redo texture to enhance the detail.  Often times, I simply realize I need to keep pushing on. Trying again sometimes uncovers the mystery that many times the piece I was going to trash turns out to be a real winner. 

So, if I have learned anything about this urge to discard art while sitting at my easel or writing this blog, it is to see the urge to discard as an opportunity to create some great work.  I must recognize the urge as maybe a “hint’ of something good.  Get up, do something else, and return later and get back to work.  That seems to work for me. 

"Arch and Light" - A piece that sat on the drawing board for weeks before I had the "Ah Ha!" moment.