What 10 years of Daily Painting Can Do

'Down Memory Lane'           14x11             pastel           ©Karen Margulis
available $175

I looked at the old painting hidden in my studio annex. The room has become my husband's tool room. I still have some of my very early paintings in storage here and I happened to find one that called to me this week. I realized that I had painted it 10 years ago. I remember that I had really liked it then. But looking at it now with more experience under my belt, the problems jumped out at me. I just couldn't help myself. I had to put it on the easel and make some adjustments.

Below you can see the original painting. It has potential. I had given thought about composition and leading the viewer through the painting. I had considered how to make the green interesting with an orange underpainting. I had attempted to create depth by changing the type and direction of my marks. But something was missing. I gave it some though and pulled out a photo from the same place as the painting. I didn't have the original reference photo.

The original  painting done in 2009

A photo from the painting location

Adding the flowers at the very end

I used the new photo to enhance the suggested pathway with the addition os a sandy trail. I also toned down the orange. I refined the trees and softened the sky. I wanted a soft moody feeling. I also changed the grasses and clumps of foliage to be more cohesive. In the original painting the flowers were too spotty and random.

My thought as I look at the original and the makeover is that 10 years of daily painting made it easier to decide what the painting needed. I also realized that slowing down at the end of the painting allowed me to make better decisions. This is something that took me a long time to do!