Finished Work, Intention, Nothing More to Add
Toro Tutor – Digital Painting 2005
Above is the finished piece to a series of images showing the creation and steps to this work. This is the fourth part to this series: Stage 1, Stage 2 and Stage 3 can all be seen by following the links or rolling down the page where appropriate.
The changes from the last version shown are minor, but then again seemed essential at the time and from my perspective pull the piece together that much more. The shadow has been darkened, the plow is in a small dirt cloud, and the piece has been signed.
The most interesting and/or difficult question for the artist is when to stop. When is the piece finished? Though I make that decision for every piece, I am not sure I have a clear answer.
But I can say it is not finished until it looks right – ’til adding would not make it better, ’til what was intended to be said is said. One quits hopefully not because one is tired of messing with the piece, but rather because it finally feels like you’ve got it.
See Also
- Art Process Ideas – When is the art finished?
Another artists take on when to say when - Art Therapy
The other angle – finished is not what’s important - Tom Shermann – The Finished Work of Art is a Thing of the Past
Long discussion of unfinished work of unfinished life and proper interpretive framework
Tags: Art, painting, perspective
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