Please?
15 x 20 watercolor
Finished! And I am really pretty happy with it. I had to change some things at the last minute that I thought would work, but really just weren't. Which then basically took the whole concept of the painting and threw it out the window. That concept being, my little boy getting caught eating my still life.
But I like the new idea here too, that he's pouting because I won't let him eat one of those apples yet.
But I like the new idea here too, that he's pouting because I won't let him eat one of those apples yet.
Ah well, such is life as an artist. Must be able to adapt to change.
But before I changed it, I showed the painting to my husband, who I can always depend on for a loving, honest opinion, and asked what he thought of one apple that I had painted with a bite taken out of it. This is how it went:
Me: "So. . . what do you think? What does it look like?" *points to the apple with what's supposed to look like a bite, but really looks like some sort of apple leprosy*
Him: *Silence*
Me: *Nervous twisting of hands*
Him: *looks at wife with a loving smile while internally debating the pros and cons of being honest with said wife*
Me: *wipes sweat off forehead* *chews fingernails down to stubs*
Him: *smiles gently and wraps arms around wife* "I know what it's supposed to look like."
Me: *sigh* "Yeah, you're right. It sucks." *pulls out the scrubber and erases the offending bite/leprosy mark*
Him: *looks at wife warily, wondering just how far he put his foot in his mouth*
Me: *looks at husband and thanks God that he's hers* "Love you."
Him: *BIG sigh of relief* "You too."
We artists and creative types need cheerleaders, we need the people we love to tell us that we're amazing, talented, and perfect in every way (what? You mean that's just me that needs that? Hmph.), but we also need to have someone who can tell us what isn't quite working.
I knew that bite mark wasn't working, but I was trying to hold onto it because of my Grand Artistic Idea, thus sacrificing the strength of the painting. So, I'm very glad my husband was there, in love and kindness, to tell me that it sort of, kind of, okay, really wasn't working. Gosh, I love that man.
So, what about you? Do you have someone you can ask who will be honest with you in a way that won't crush your sensitive artist's soul? And when's the last time you told them how grateful you were for them?
