Bully Bunny OR A Preconceived Notion Run Amuck

Bully Bunny   watercolor/relief ink   20 x 10

Rabbits are sweet herbivores, right?  Well...this bunny threw me for a loop.  Most often, I have somewhat of a preconceived notion of the way a work will look upon completion.  Oh, yes, it varies SOMEWHAT.  But, in this case, I was completely surprised as the work twisted and turned and evolved in a completely surprising way.  No predictability here.  The rabbit painting in my brain was a bit more watercolory...more botanical...more realistic.  But at each turn, my personal aesthetic was at odds with the realism of the subject.  The realistic bunny morphed into an Easter Bunny!   While I am not a big fan of the start-over, as the do-overs always seem to follow the same path as the original.  In this case, there were two, yes two, do-overs.  My own sense of correctness was stronger than the realistic representation.

All I can say is SURPRISE!  Yes, bunnies are sweet.  But in this case, this bunny was a bully!

Consideration

Strawberry Basket   oil on canvas   12 x 5.5 x 1.25

needs to be included in the process of painting, I think.  Too often, for myself as well, painting takes on an active role just as one paints a wall, a house.  Cut in the edges.  Use a roller.  Any spots left?  Passive painting includes the time that one spends without a brush in hand in consideration of what needs done, what will improve the work.  The most dreaded question for me in class is, "What do I do next?", for that implies my own sense of aesthetic, rather than the aesthetic of the artist whose work is being considered. 

Strawberry Basket was originally painted from life in my studio in a back-lit situation.  I have never fared well in that situation as the reality of the scene (the play of light) needs to define the work, rather than my own design-based approach.  I am at odds.  Originally this work had a dark background, a kind of old masters take on the subject.  I just couldn't live with it.  After much consideration, the project was reinvented with my own sense of correctness.  I am happy.

We must, in my opinion, hone our own aesthetic sensibility, a personal sense of correctness.  Therein lies our style, that which we are seeking.