Re-Do...

Onionskin   Watercolor/Gouache   20.5 x 13

I decided fairly early on in my art career that re-do's were a waste of time.  Sometimes we think that if we re-paint our subject, we will certainly do better.  Usually, for me, I find that some passages are improved and others, which were previously satisfactory, are left wanting on the second trip around.  Re-Do's also interfere with commitment.  Morayo is the younger sister of my son's friend Bandele.  She is a prickly girl.  She modeled many years ago during a hot summer for my colleagues Jack Liberman and Judy Carducci.....and me.....when we painted in an upstairs garret room of The Italian American Center in Akron. Her pose, with delicately placed fingertips and a flower, is at odds with her personality.  Her life had not been easy.  The first time I painted her, I was dissatisfied to the point of torture.  A second painting yielded approximately the same results.  Now, many years later, I look back on this work and realize that she is there.  I see both Morayo and her her brother.  I see who she is on the inside.

Onionskins......layer upon layer.  Sometimes it takes a while to get to the inside.

Getting it Right

Onionskin   watercolor/gouache   20.5 x 13

Each time I look over past paintings, I am reminded of the lessons that they provided me. "Onionskin" was painted many years ago. This young woman appeared to be tough as nails. After all, she had not had an easy life. After the 3 sessions, I was very disappointed with the work. I thought it should be softer. So.........I painted it again. And, guess what? The second painting looked very much like the first one. I have found over the years that the repeated painting of a subject with the intent to improve it, usually falls short. Different mistakes are made. Different areas are weak. Morayo taught me about commitment to the painting and accepting its strengths along with its weaknesses. And.....ten years down the road, those small differences usually don't matter. I hope that Morayo is doing well.