At a dear friends house recently, adorning the walls was an oil painting I had completed a number of years ago.

Lady in Red

  I always liked the painting  and have made a number of  renditions around this theme. For me, this lady arouses a sense of curiosity and intrigue as she  looks out through the window and on into the garden. 

Why is she there?  What is she thinking about?  What is the occasion? Is she happy or is she sad?  Will she turn around and reveal more about who she really is?

While I consider it always an honour and  a privilege to see one of my paintings in somebody else’s  home or in an office setting, my  artistic eye couldn’t help but make a critical assessment of the painting.

Eventually, after some discussion and laughter, my friend gave me permission to give The Lady in Red a makeover and so I took the painting home with me.

Next day, I found myself adding a few “touches” here and there and before I knew it, I had refreshed the entire painting and added a few more curves to The Lady in Red.  She had now blossomed into a slightly more buxom and curvaceous woman and I think she looks all the better for it! 

Thankfully, my friend agreed and was pleased as punch with her re-vitalised painting.

Consequently, I began scrutinising some more of my paintings.  Working with the medium of oils makes it easier to make adjustments, value changes etc.  This brings me back to the age-old problem that many artists encounter – when is the painting really finished?

This time, I think  The Lady in Red  has, let us say, grown with maturity.

Maybe it’s because it is Spring time – my subconscious is compelling me to review, re-arrange and fix!

Perhaps overall, it is better to leave well enough alone.

What do you think?