Thursday, March 06, 2008

The good, the bad and the ugly

Since I've titled this blog as a "journal" and mean it to be an account of the painting experience, I am going to share all my recent failures or incomplete works to prove at least that I am working. I just have not had a successful painting in more than a week. Its one of those slumps that happen all too often for my tastes. It is incredibly frustrating once I fail and my mind can't let go of that experience and trying to make it work, so that failure follows me and intrudes on the next piece, and the next, and interrupts my sleep, and so on.

I still believe in many of the works shown below, they just need something. Some are just the barest beginnings, some I've reworked for days and am still unsatisfied. So I've put myself in time out... and next week is spring break here so I will not be able to work much... maybe that break will help me set these aside and begin again.



Click the image for a larger view... if you dare!

8 comments:

Lorrie Drennan said...

Hi Robin!

I love your work and have subscribed to your blog. I feel your pain. But I will have to say that your "dogs" are better than some folks "keepers" so don't get down on yourself! I got some very helpful feedback recently from someone that was checking in on my blog so I was hoping to do the same for you.
On the horizontal immage at the top with the blue umbrellas. There are bunches and bunches of things I love about it. What I think if it was mine is that I would try to do something on the left side to bring your eye back in. The car and the group of walkers bring you over there and then baseball hat boy just shoots you right off the scene. If her were even glancing back or had the coffee in the other hand or if the umbrella behind him was slightly tipped so the edge wasn't heading right into space. Maybe if he were even looking down so that his hat painted another direction.

I really love your work! It is pretty presumptious of me to give advice when you look at the relationship of my body of work to yours, but everybody has an opinion and you never know when one word will spark something.

Have a great trip!
Lorrie

Melody said...

Hey Robin...I think your being too hard on yourself. From the work you posted I love three of them,
the guy with the red umbrella
first one on the left in which the two guys are in a bar and the top one in which people are on the street.
I was hitting a bit of a block a while back and decided to take a break from the textile art and begin painting only on canvas. It has been a major breakthrough for me and I am loving the work I'm producing on canvas. Hope when I go back to the textile stuff I'm still as motivated. Anyway....I love your work and find it to be very inspiring.

Rose Welty said...

Robin, thank you for your humility in posting that you are in a slump! It's encouraging to those of us who have far more slumps than good periods. :D It tells me that slumps are normal and will ebb and flow like anything.

Again, thanks! Love your work.

Cecelia said...

Robin, it sounds like you are just tired. The paintings are fine. I especially like the top two and those of the people in the rain. The lower restaruant scene is good, too. Maybe you just need to put them back for a while, then go back later and look at them. Another thing to do is to get a painting partner to critique for you. You know the old saying about it taking two people to paint a picture-one to paint, the other to knock them in the head to make them stop! Sometimes it just takes a fresh eye or a second eye.
Good luck with the vacation, and Spring Break! We have that too, over here in B/CS. Just means that one grandson will be at home all week from elementary school. Now that I'm retired, it's a vacation every day.
Have a great trip!

Takeyce said...

Don't be so hard on yourself, Robin. I'm glad that you posted these. I think that all the ones rthat are finished, or close to being done are beautiful. The others have great potential. I especially love the lower right piece, and the top wide piece.

A Painter's Journal said...

You all are so kind!
I didn't post this for an ego boost, but I've gotten one!

I hope to see these with fresh eyes next week or so, and hopefully have new ideas that I can settle down and work on.

Anonymous said...

Hi Robin,

Thank you so much for sharing! I think, as one artist to another, you are being way too hard on yourself! I do the same thing. You will never see your work in the objective light that the viewer does. I think your work is outstanding, and I appreciate seeing it in its "rough" stages. Since I have followed your example and created a "journal-like" blog, you have inspired me to have the courage to show my work in all it's incarnations. I feel like I am becoming a better artist as a result. I love these paintings-- all of them. I especially like the one of the two figures under the umbrella walking across the courtyard-- reminds me of Paris, and the paintings at the turn of the century by Caboillette (sp?). Your city scenes are great; they all have a good focal point, and there is a certain fresh, energetic quality seeing them go from "sketchy" into more finished areas... maybe they are done enough, or only need a few more strokes.

Please don't be so harsh in judging your work. It brings joy to many, and has inspired me for one!

Your friend in California,
Karen

PS If you are ever in my neighborhood, please drop in for a cup o'java!

SERGI GIUSEPPE said...

Congratulations on your works!
They are beautiful.
Hi
Joseph

http://artsergig.blogspot.com/

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