Thursday, August 6, 2015

Working on a finished painting

Been working on a finished painting. I do that quite often. I convince myself that a painting is finished, but after some time (a few weeks, months, even a year) it turns out that's not the case at all.

This particular painting had been in an exhibition for six weeks and the moment the exhibition was over I picked it up at the gallery and reworked it. Now it's finished. I mean really finished. I even gave it a new title. Period.

Here are the two stages. The one at the bottom is the way it looks at the moment. The definitive, final, not-to-be-touchedd-again stage. Did it get any better? What do you think? Let me know!

If you want to take a closer look, please check my web site (http://www.paintingskies.com/products/)

Wide Beach, oil on panel, 50 x 150 cm

Narrow Beach, oil on panel, 50 x 150 cm


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9 comments:

  1. UnknownAugust 8, 2015 at 1:31 AM

    Stunning improvement! It was beautiful before but now it really involves the viewer. I love it.

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  2. Janhendrik DolsmaAugust 8, 2015 at 9:45 AM

    Thanks Jennifer. Just what I needed to hear.

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  3. GayleAugust 8, 2015 at 5:37 PM

    Agree with above comment - The reworked version is so inviting - makes one want to jump in and run along the freshly wet sand!

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  4. Sheila PhelpsAugust 8, 2015 at 7:25 PM

    Both are fabulous, but the rework is visually more interesting - FABULATASTIC Mr. Dolama!!!

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  5. Janhendrik DolsmaAugust 9, 2015 at 11:21 PM

    Thank you so much for your comment, Gayle and Sheila! Sometimes a painter has been working on a painting for so long, he doesn't see clearly anymore and he needs an outside eye.

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  6. UnknownDecember 12, 2015 at 12:56 AM

    I agree. In the first painting, there are a very wide monotone intervals on the left and on the right which make it a perfect symmetric perspective, something boring. In the second painting, there are more interesting dynamics. Great painting.

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  7. Janhendrik DolsmaDecember 14, 2015 at 11:14 AM

    Thanks for your kind comment! You're absolutely right about the symmetric perspective. The composition becomes a bit static and the great plane of the beach is actually quite boring. That was solved in the second stage.

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  8. Kathleen MooreDecember 19, 2015 at 12:36 PM

    What a difference! In the first painting, the water at the edge of the canvas pulled my eye away from the land - bouncing back and forth like a ping pong ball! The updated version directs my eye, there is movement within the painting and a clear focal area.Beautiful!

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    Replies
    1. Janhendrik DolsmaDecember 22, 2015 at 1:16 AM

      Thanks for your comment, Kathleen. I agree, there's a clear focal point now, caused by the movement of the waves. I'm quite pleased with the changes myself. Took me some time though. The tracks on the beach in the first painting took a lot of work. Kill your darlings...

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