Star Noble: Art Advice Columnist for Fine Art Registry®

No Wine Before Its Time

Star responds to an artist's dilemma – a completed painting they just aren't sure about...

DO OVER!!! Or...maybe not so much. Or maybe not at all! So you completed a painting and every time you look at it, there is something not quite right. Something is off and you just don't know what it is. Look, let me solve this no brainer. If you are not happy with it, news flash...it's probably NOT done!

Come on, we have all completed a painting at one time or another, or should I say we thought the painting was completed, only to come to the grim realization that we're not happy with it. We have even gone so far as to sign the painting which is a clear indication we are done and satisfied with the painting. Right? Well in some instances, wrong. In hindsight...it seems we merely just wanted the piece to be done and thought that by signing the painting, it made it magically better or maybe we just didn’t have any more to give. As I sit here writing, I can tell you that I've been walking past a sketch I completed that has been on my easel for weeks. Why has it just been sitting there? Because I know without a doubt, there is something I have to change/do differently before I can start painting it. What is it? Well, that will come to me in due time. It eventually does. Just givin' it time.

Have you heard the expression, "No wine before its time."? Actually, it was the slogan of a famous Paul Masson winery advertising campaign with Orson Wells as the pitchman in the 1970's. I draw the comparison and liken the artist to the wine connoisseur who determines when the wine (or in this case, the painting) is ready for consumption. (View one of the ads here).

So, stop languishing over the darn thing and fix it if you must. Add or take away. Give in to what your artistic and oh so critical eye is forcing you to do. Or just let it be. The end result will be one of following.

1. You made changes and can now be in complete harmony with the painting.
2. You let it be. You did nothing and found inner peace with the painting.
3. Or...you have now completely @#*#'d it up.

There is no right or wrong answer to this dilemma but I certainly have my opinion. As an artist, I have done all of the above. What I haven't done and don't subscribe to is painting over a piece or worse yet...throwing the painting away. Oh my God! The inner art collector in me cringes any time I hear of an artist committing such crimes. There are many great artists (and not so great) that have done the "paint over" or the "throw away". And I suppose it could be argued that letting a painting out into the world you are less than satisfied with, or keeping it stashed in your studio, is a crime in itself, but I’m telling you it's not. Let me explain.

If art is your expression...your emotion, then what you just completed (stay with me here) is where you were at, as an artist, at that precise moment...in that day, space, time and dimension. That's right. It's an expression of YOU in all your bizarre, normal, crazy, beautiful, mixed up, mundane, exciting, painful, wonderful, lackluster, exuberant (just pick an emotion or two) glory. That painting, believe it or not, is part of your artistic journey. It tells a story, whether good, bad or otherwise. Life is not always what we'd like it to be, ergo your work. Not every painting you complete is going to be "all good". That's just a fact Jack. You could potentially wait a lifetime (or longer) for your painting to find that perfect someone who "gets it". But that person IS out there. So do not attempt to be the sole judge and jury on whether or not it's a keeper. And for God's sake, DON'T throw it out! Oh, BTW...can I please have all of the pieces that some of the highly-collected, blue chip artists just threw away because they didn't like what they created. Get it?

The art market is a fickle lady but in the end, collectors will some day clamor for any scrap that helps them piece together your artistic journey, whether you become (or became) a blue chip artist or not. Know this going in and you'll be just fine. Let your work tell your story. We already know it's not perfect, so quit trying to cover it up. Just attempt to stay in tune with your inner wine connoisseur who will often remind you..."No wine before its time".

- Star Noble

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