Challenge

Lost in the chaos!

My poor girl looked better when she wasn't painted...

I had trouble deciding what color to paint her shirt. I don't think my selection was great. Far from it. I've created a new challenge for myself. My job now will be to tone down the reflective water until she pops out in clearer view.

The other Children at the Beach in this series aren't competing with various reflections in the water. Only their reflections are visible. I thought it would be fun to add surrounding elements and hoped it would contribute to the composition by adding depth in the reflection. I was correct with the depth, but didn't anticipate the chaos that has occurred.

It will be an interesting challenge to pull this all together.

Challenges and mistakes are where we learn. Though frustrating at first, the process needed to pull yourself out of it makes you search your memory bank for solutions. What have I seen before? What have I done before? Have I faced this problem in the past? How did I solve it?

Why did I do it again???

Loosing your subject can be very alarming. I'm anxious to jump back into this painting to try my shot at bringing her back. I think its still possible to succeed, but the chance to fail is equally great. Excitement and fear rush though me simultaneously. In my head sits the solution, but will it be in my brush? I really don't want to loose the freshness and transparency in my colors. Contrast is missing. I'm thinking dull versus bright is the path I should follow. I imagine it working...

...but will it.

I'll keep you posted on my progress.

(Maybe she's praying to be seen or to be found...)