Watching a Painting Happen

At each of the stages of the painting process, it is good to take a photograph of the work. It helps a lot to look at the photo in between sessions, when I am away from the studio and before I take up the painting again. I sometimes see things in the photograph that I missed when I was in the studio. I also need to confess that although there is something special about the product of the final painting session, I become very attached to and like to look at each of the stages. In fact, unless I fall in love with what happens in those very early stages, especially the very first, I am not going to like what happens later. If love doesn't happen in the drawing, the message is to start a new painting.

This slideshow presents five stages of a painting I am calling Pears and Shapes. I am hoping it will be the first in a series of paintings that let viewers see painting as a kind of meditation. I will keep you posted on how that goes.