Arcadia Window

Arcadia Window, 8x10" oil, Diane Mannion

Can This Painting Be Saved?

We all knew it would rain but not as sudden and heavy as it came down yesterday.  Most of the VAC Punta Gorda artists (Peace River Palette People) were painting under overhangs along Oak Street in Arcadia.  But that didn't protect us from wind and flooding up to our ankles.  Most fled... a few had lunch until the rain stopped and we could wade back into our cars.

Here's Weimin Mo waving... and a determined artist still painting (sorry I don't know her name).

The stage of my painting when I stopped on location.  Decided to remove the figure and make a few (a lot) of adjustments later.

 My wild thumbnail sketch.  Should have worked out the values more carefully!  Rushed in an effort to start painting right away.  Lesson learned... slow down.

The scene... looked SO much better in "real" life.  Photo reference was not much help back in the studio.  

When I was a young whippersnapper, I remember leafing through my mother's McCall magazines.  There was a feature titled, "Can This Marriage Be Saved?"  For some reason, I always think of this when I'm not happy with a painting.  CAN THIS PAINTING BE SAVED?

So why did I paint this scene in the first place?   The sunflowers caught my eye and the view through the corner window.  I also wanted to paint the reflections of the building across the street (not clear in this photo) AND... a selfie of me painting!!! What was I thinking?

Sometimes it's fun to plant yourself in front of an impossible scene and see how much IS possible.  

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