Knowing when to keep going on a piece and when it’s time to leave well enough alone is a constant tension in my art. Here is Fruit Tree #5 in various stages of completion. Once I had the bare branches painted in I really liked the look of it. Kind of like getting lost in an enchanted forest, not knowing if good or evil was around the bend. But I decided to stay the course of my original vision and add in blossoms.

I’m calling this the Kenny Rogers crisis–knowing when to hold ’em, and when to fold ’em (which may or may not also be a reference to how much tinkering with your face is a good idea unless you like always looking surprised, but I digress). This was phase one of adding in more blossoms and bottom drips. Once the white started there was no going back to the enchanted forest look. This could have also been a good end point though.

Here is a picture of the final piece. I ended up turning the vanishing point in the middle of the trees into a more obvious focal point by leaving that area both above and below the drip line brighter/more yellow in color and deepening the outside at the same time with the darker blue drips and washes. I’m not sure I made the right choice–anyone else have to deal with my Kenny Rogers crisis? Either in art form or writing or speaking?