The Exhibit Chronicles, Part III

I've named this painting "I Dream of Gardenias." I wrote about my gardenias in a blog just before I picked some to take to my art teacher, Eula Ginsburg, for her birthday. She put them in a pretty vase and of course I had to paint them.

The advantage of taking an art class is your work is always examined and evaluated by the teacher and fellow students. Sometimes I take their advice, but often I don't. Usually the best advice is to "stop" when a painting is done. Artists often over think their works and keep painting when it would best be left alone. In other words, they ruin their own painting.

I've done it a few times, but I'm less prone to it than a lot of artists. I have no trouble stopping and saying a painting is "done" while some never finish their works because they are never satisfied. I don't aim for perfection because to me, human attempts at perfection always fail. Perfection usually equals plastic.

This painting, which I originally named "Blue Gardenias" was about three-quarters done when the class and teacher's consensus was that I should stop. "But I'm just starting on the flower on the left, just the base coats," I protested. "And I need to ground the vase with a table or a pedestal."

Later my mother made the same comment about grounding the painting, pointing to one my great aunt had done, which was displayed on her wall. A vase of peace lilies was sitting on a vague swish of white, and it was definitely grounded.

The others at art class were seeing people's faces in my unfinished gardenia, and commented on the contrast between the abstract flower and the flower in the foreground, which was finished. They also thought it would ruin the feeling of the painting to put it on a base.

I had no particular vision for the painting (I had come prepared to start on the "See, Anemones" painting) so I decided to "stop" when others felt I should stop. Sometimes peer pressure can be a positive thing.

When I brought it home, I got to thinking the vase reminded me a genie's bottle, perhaps because it seemed to be floating in mid-air. Once I gave it the right title, "I Dream of Gardenias," it all seemed to fit.

Was "stopping" the right decision. I've decided. Now it's your turn.

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I dropped the paintings off at the Winsor Gallery on Friday. You can visit the gallery or attend the opening reception on June 26th. Click here for details.