Here's the thing. I haven't been happy with my studio painting for a while. This last month I was painting a boat painting from a photograph. Not a bad photo but hard to in interpret. I thought it would be a good idea to paint a little still life from the real thing. While i was shopping today I bought a couple of peaches to paint this evening. This afternoon I had put the boat painting in a drawer. Maybe in a year or so I'll think its great but it really sucks. What the hell am I doing trying to paint a boat photographed on a overcast shitty day. I think I'll weld that drawer shut.
On to the peaches. I painted for a little over 2 hours. A long time for a small painting and I wasn't even near the end or happy. I started wiping areas repainting them with the same unhappy result. Did I mention that I'm a little over realism. I mean what does it show? That I can copy a photo or a set-up. Big deal. After two or three partial wipes I'd had it. I wiped the whole damn thing and I love it. I smoothed some stuff out. and signed it. To me its reality maybe not realistic but certainly real. The colors are peachy. the light is alive. It has energy and expression. And best of all now I can eat the peaches.