When am I done? Trying to figure that out can be so difficult. To find that balance between overworking a piece or stopping too early is almost a skill unto itself. I can frequently ask others for a fresh viewpoint when I am nearing what I believe is a finished Foundling. Marie is always helpful as she brings a completely fresh opinion. Other times only waiting can tell because with time and distance, comes an understanding. When I am creating, there is a kind of “creative blindness” that sets in. A “persistence of vision” that can easily deceive. I can get stuck in a direction that I can see only one path forward.
Leonardo Da Vinci once said that art is never finished. Only abandoned.
This is Mandala II (20" x 20" x 5") and I waiver between this is done in a minimalist way, and that it still needs to be “pushed”. Presently this work is being framed as sometimes a frame finishes a piece. Other times a frame highlights that something is missing. Perhaps the fact that this piece is one of the few works that isn’t stained dark is in itself distracting. The background, being made of beautiful teak, may be what misleads me, so I will wait a bit to see if I am done.
