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Recently I received a request from a student to write about frustrations, and looking through my older posts I was surprised to see I hadn't specifically addressed that topic. After all, frustration is something I am deeply familiar with in regards to painting. When I was younger it used to really rock my boat and I suppose it still would if I hadn't realized somewhere along the way how counterproductive it can be to spiral up my own you-know-what.

Still, I can't say I have any grand strategies to overcome the various problems that come up when painting except to maybe be more philosophical about them. While I admit my favorite paintings are the ones where the puzzle pieces just seem to click into place on their own with minimal effort on my part, that's not something I seem to have all that much control over. For sure a good composition is really important and being in practice usually ups the odds of a good outcome. Not being under pressure is a key thing for me although pressure seems to work well for other artists I know. Giving myself too much time isn't great either. The main thing I try to keep in mind is that the more experience I have solving puzzles, the better my track record gets on solving them successfully, or better yet, spotting potential problems ahead of time and avoiding them in the first place. 

There's still a few situations that consistently seem to present a challenge to me. While I like to mix things up and attempt to pull off quirky compositions, a weak center of interest or a bunch of tangents popping up will definitely put a speed bump in my path. Another stumbling block can come in the form of aerial perspective. As a still life painter that typically involves drawing issues that crop up when trying to get multiple ellipses all looking as though they are properly sitting on the same plane. 

 

Here's a few tactics that have stuck with me over the years to help avoid frustrations:

Not panicking is good; Looking in mirrors or turning the painting upside down can help; If any adjustments need to be made within the center of interest, I start there first; Hiding the painting away for a while is one of the best --sometimes I've kept paintings for years until I took another look and came up with a solution; To help visualize I might tape pieces of colored paper, dried leaves or petals to the canvas to figure out what direction to go next; Making adjustments to the image in Photoshop or some other digital program before trying it in paint can be useful; Hanging a painting up on the wall for a few weeks and noticing it in my peripheral vision to see what areas my eye goes to can sometimes help; Studying the piece and making  moves intentionally with the purpose of trying to solve a problem rather than just diving in and adding things out of pure desperation; To use a chess analogy --sometimes you have to give up a pawn to save a queen; Last but not least, adopting a playful sort of 'wherever you go, there you are' attitude can be a real plus. 

Here are some things I try to stay away from:

Making changes without having a pretty good mental picture of where I'm heading; If possible I avoid repainting any edges that are already well established; I don't worry about drafting-perfect drawing but do try to get objects to look like they are relatively symmetrical and not about to fall over; Above all, I try to never dive back into a tough painting problem when I feel like a lot is riding on the outcome or when I'm in a crummy mood and feeling desperate for a 'win'.

For me the issue isn't so much whether I can figure out an acceptable fix to a problem but whether I can pull off the necessary changes and yet have a painting that looks effortless -- as though it was "blown on in one puff". Very occasionally I've been able to stumble across an ideal solution and that always feels great. The search for a magic bullet to avoid and/or solve all of the frustrations that come up has remained elusive though. Still, sitting myself down and  figuring out what is bothering me has more often than not paid off. Even though a part of me would much prefer to never have such frustrations come up in the first place, I can also see that without some of these challenges to overcome, painting wouldn't be the 'hook' it has consistently been for so many decades. 

                                                          

                                                          "Bouquet in Milk Pitcher"    10x9      oil on linen

                                                           This image is from about 15 years ago and I pulled it out of the archives

                                                           because I fondly remember it as one of the better 'saves' I've made during

                                                           my years as a painter. Although I don't recall the original composition at all,

                                                           I distinctly remember thinking this one was a sure bet to go in the trash.

                                                           Instead it turned out to be one of those miraculous 'Hail Mary!' attempts 

                                                           that I had enough sense to leave alone.

 

"How often I found where I should be going only by setting out for somewhere else." -- R. Buckminster Fuller

 

 

"Fall seven times, stand up eight."  --- Japanese Proverb

                                                            

                     

                                                         

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