I’m sure that all artists will have been in my current situation. About two weeks ago I had an idea for a picture, and produced a hurried sketch in charcoal. I was sure that it had potential, and it was interesting because it promised too take me out of my comfort zone. My wife kindly agreed to model for a part of the design, and I took a reference photograph. I looked forward to realising my imagined picture.
Everything seemed to be going well at first, and I chose the paper, outlined the project at the intended size, and selected the range of pastels I believed would be right for the task. I even had in mind a frame I could recycle when it was finished. Things have not turned out as expected. Although I believed that I had followed my original sketch it soon became apparent that it didn’t feel right. There were subtle differences between the drawing of the sketch and what I was doing to “reproduce” it. I knew that I was way off track when my wife commented that the central figure looked like a witch! She never minces her words, and I could see what she meant.
It has been possible to take the day off today. The weather has been good, and I kept to my promise that I would have a good session of exercise each week. Consequently I drove north of Skipton and walked up onto Rylstone Crag. It is one of the prime local rock-climbing sites, but with my deteriorated level of fitness I was well-pleased with the fact that I could get to the climbs and make sure they are still there. The project hasn’t been niggling at me all day, but driving home I did confront that important question. Am I going to continue to fiddle about with this picture, hoping that it will come right? Is it worth spending time sitting and looking at it, hoping that I will realise just what is the problem? Or do I just write it off as one of those ideas that don’t turn out, and bin it? I’ll have to sleep on that one.