2/8

sometimes you need to step back from your work. perhaps the simplest way to accomplish this is to look at what you are doing through someone else's eyes; get a second opinion, give it to another person to read, show it to somebody else. but this isn't always an option and then you have to do it yourself. with a figurative work, one trick is to look at it reflected in a mirror, when it's abstract, you turn it upside down. these devices allow you to judge if you are relying too heavily on the familiar, they can reveal whether or not your preconceptions about space or structure are masking some weakness.

everything in the studio went upside down tonight. three pieces passed the test, they are in balance, they might need work but they are structurally sound. two others are a little questionable, one is too static, the other...

and there was one where things really got clearer. this painting was just too confusing and that's a tough one because its working title is "my side of the confusion". so, it was addressing what is was supposed to but not in a way that worked. now its clearer, but not completely (see 2/5 for that discussion) it still retains a state of confusedness, maybe still a little too much, but it's improved. confused? join the club.