When I work on a painting over several days, I seem to go back and forth in a dance of freedom versus control. One day I'll paint spontaneously, loosely, letting it all happen without regard for "staying in the lines."
The next day I'll stare at the canvas and decide it's a bit too loose--it needs more definition here, more of a particular color there. Gradually I tighten up the composition, give more balance to the color, and slowly transform it into something more cohesive.
Of course, in this process I might lose some of the energy and spontaneity that was so attractive in the first place. It's a dance. It goes on, back and forth, until it feels right to me. Here's what this new painting looks like at the end of today's work session. See the original version in my previous post.
