Q: How do you know when a series has ended?
“A Promise, Meant to be Broken,” soft pastel on sandpaper, 58″ x 38″
A: I suppose it’s when there is nothing left to say within a particular body of work. The urgency to add something I haven’t tried vanishes. Usually I can’t even think of anything I haven’t tried.
I knew with certainty that the “Domestic Threats” series was finished while “A Promise Meant to be Broken” was still on my easel. It’s no accident that I included a self-portrait. This painting was my way of saying good-bye to an important body of work – literally turning my back on it – and summing up where the work had taken me.
For artists each series is a creative journey with a beginning, a middle, and an end. At a certain point it’s over. Then you build on what you’ve accomplished and move on to create something new. The connection between new work and old may not always be obvious, but one thing is certain: all the previous work laid the groundwork for what you make today.
Comments are welcome!
Posted on April 4, 2015, in An Artist's Life, Art in general, Creative Process, Domestic Threats, Pastel Painting, Working methods and tagged "A Promise Meant to be Broken", accident, accomplished, add, anything, artists, back, beginning, body, build, certain, certainty, create, creative, Domestic Threats, easel, end, finished, good-bye, important, journey, literally, middle, nothing, painting, particular, point, probably, sandpaper, saying, self portrait, series, soft pastel, something, still, summing, suppose, taken, think, tried, turning, urgency, work. Bookmark the permalink. 2 Comments.
Barbara, I love “A Promise, Meant to be Broken.” it is so enchanting and exudes a warm, whimsical spirit — like you! So, is that what happens in your studio when your back is turned? It looks like you had a lot of fun creating this.
Thanks very much, Renee.