Until It Is Sold, That Is.

I habitually keep making small changes to a composition as long as it is in my possession. I may put it away for a while, and then some new change seems to occur to me, and I get out the paint again. And to add another thin coat of varnish, and photograph the latest version. Again.

It is difficult to hang on to a piece until you are sure it is really finished, because there is always some place to show it before you reach that point. I am probably not going to be able to change that habit. For that reason, I tell people I do often change my work. Once it is sold, I have to let it go as is.

I don’t have any problem letting my work go out into the world. This means it is ready to give others pleasure. That is my reason for creating it. Selling work allows an artist to keep on being creative… sustains us so we can continue to buy materials and to live, and to go on being in that creative mental space.

See my blog of March 29 to see the previous version of Winter Concert. The changes were made using acrylic glazes to deepen the maroons and balance the composition. (I really do believe it is finished, this time!)

Writing and Images are the Copyright © of Ruth Zachary.