I’ve had a long argument with this as-yet-untitled painting. The argument started as soon as I completed the original design. I spent time taking things out of the design after it was supposed to be finished. I work hard on designs and only start painting with the drawing is finished. But it’s a large painting, 48″ x 60″, and I couldn’t get comfortable. So, I did like I always do in similar situations, I put the painting aside.
Eventually, I took it up again and started painting. But the argument started again. The painting radically settled the argument on its own. One day, in my over-cramped studio (I need a larger studio which is one reason that we are looking for a new property), I knocked over a painting that knocked over another that knocked over an easel that…ripped a hole in the painting as it fell.
I had to set it aside again as I repaired the canvas. I always leave extra canvas around the stretchers just for this situation. I cut a piece out of the extra canvas and attached it to the back of the canvas, then coated the tear with several layers of gesso. The white blotch in this photo is where the tear is.
After fixing the canvas, I determined to modify the design until I was happy with it. I added a truck to the upper-left and a young girl dancing in the lower-center. You can see the new drawing in the photo. The palette is my usual palette after a full day of work.