Literally. It doesn’t often happen to me, although it is probably the case that it should be so, that I almost reach the point of deciding that a picture is finished and then decide to scrap it. The temptation is always there to attempt some kind of last-minute rescue. If only I could fiddle with it for a little longer then it would be OK. There are occasions, however, when it is necessary to recognise that no amount of fiddling about is going to result in a rescue, and that any attempts to do so could only possibly result in something that looks over-worked. A failure is, quite simply, a failure.
This is a hard decision to reach after a week’s work (or more) but I guess that any artist is going to find him- or herself in that position every now and then. The underlying idea is interesting, and I have not decided to abandon the project altogether. It needs to be set aside for a while, however, and then begun again as a completely new project.
It is a fortunate coincidence in one respect that we have to travel down to the south of England over the next three days in order to attend the funeral of one of my wife’s relations. This will enable me to put the failed piece behind me in a definitive way, and will render impossible any temptation to go on fiddling about with the first version.
The journey does mean also that I will probably not have any opportunity to continue this blog for the next three days.