I remember being confused when galleries first started to ask me if I knew any good artists. I didn’t understand why they were interested in my suggestions since I knew that they saw applications from dozens of artists, every month even, wanting to be represented by them. What I soon realized was that their definition of a good artist was quite different from that of most artists. I’ll get back to that.
Success can be defined in countless ways and can be different for everyone, for now, let’s settle on the idea that you want to create art that you love, that inspires you and others, and is an occupation that is fulfilling and rewarding, over the long term. I am also asked by many aspiring artists about what it takes to be successful and my advice is pretty consistent. I had a conversation recently with an artist friend in fact, and we discussed all those things that I have learned that work for me, and pretty much all of the other successful career artists that I know.
…”A common malady among artists is we sometimes don’t know when to quit. Consequently we can ruin a good painting by overworking it or by leaving it too soon. There’s a fine line there somewhere and it’s hard to know when you’ve crossed it.” Lesley White
How do you know when a painting is finished? It is one of the most frequent questions I am asked, by artists, and sometimes by people who just appreciate and enjoy art and are curious to know how an artist decides when they have completed the painting. Is there a formula or process that enables you to know when it is time to put down the brush? I don’t think so.
There is no simple, one size fits all, response or solution either, and no one can tell you when the painting is done, it’s between you and the painting to sort that out. Obviously the better and more experienced painters have a better time of it. This is why in the studios of the Masters of old those final touches would be left to the Master alone. Still, paintings don’t always turn out the way you might want, or expect them to. It is an issue that even many great artists struggle with as well; Leonardo Da Vinci and Rembrandt come to mind.
I realized some time ago that I am one of the fortunate artists that has very little trouble knowing when to sign off, pun intended, on a composition. Plus, I rarely have paintings that don’t turn out the way I want and end up in the fire pit. I think it is partly because of my personality, and also my painting style.
That said, here are a couple of waterfalls paintings I did that seemed like they were finished but I later made some changes to them that I was happy with. No structural changes to the compositions, just light and color. The ‘finished paintings are on the right:
Supperflyarts 