Playing with Paint

I finished the "re-work" of the painting I shared with you in my last blog post. I completely re-painted the entire 30 x 40 canvas so it would be consistent with what I wanted to achieve in the revised version. Some critics say that art should leave something to the imagination... perhaps "leave them guessing" might be a good way to put it. I've had some difficulty with this concept, and so I continue to examine new ways to create. I'm not saying that I don't like representational work. I absolutely love the work of Randy Ford (http://www.randyfordamericanartist.com/home.html) whose work is so photorealistic that it leaves me in awe. But I also love the soft beauty of an impressionist painting. I think this new work of mine is more along that line.

Psalm 27 - Revised version

When you compare it to the first painting I did, you can see the difference.

 

Psalm 27 - Original painting

The colors in the revised painting are more muted than in the original. The brush strokes are softer, thanks to the long-handled Rosemary brushes. And although it's still very much the same painting, I believe it leaves more to the imagination. I'm not making radical changes, but I do see the value in pushing myself to be more "uncomfortable" with my painting style. I would love to hear your thoughts on this.