I was working on a painting that I set out to finish Thursday night. I really wanted to drop off the painting for an art exhibit and the deadline was Friday. I was pushing, but as much as I wanted the painting to be finished, it just wasn’t. Something was a little off. This brought me to the question, when is a painting finished?
For my own work, I think about where I envision a piece going. I often paint intuitively, so I usually don’t know the answer to that question when I begin. But as I progress, it becomes clear to me what the focus for the piece is (for me, this often means which two elements and principles of art I want to focus on). And given that I work abstractly, I don’t know when something is finished simply because I started out to create a painting of a dog and now it looks like a dog, therefore I must be done. I need to judge my painting based on the emotion or feeling that I want to convey. Sometimes I do this with color, by picking a warm, yellow color to convey a happy mood, for example. Or I might listen to upbeat, instrumental jazz music to inspire energetic brushstrokes.
I paint until I have a gut reaction that a piece is finished. Yes, that means that there have been times when I went too far and ruined a painting that was already complete. But by pushing myself, taking risks, and continuing to practice my art, I have a better sense of when it is time to put a painting aside.
Here are some questions that I have learned to ask myself:
- Does the art mean something to me?
- Does the painting convey what I want it to?
- How does my eye move through the painting? Does my eye get stuck anywhere?
- Does the painting feel unified/balanced?
- When I turn the painting on its side or upside down, does the painting still work visually?
Consider asking yourself these questions and allow the answers to determine whether you are finished. If you are, remember to sign and date your painting. Some people do this on the front of their painting, but I choose to do this on the back of my work. I also find it helpful to take photos throughout the painting process, the last photo, of course, being one of my finished piece.
How do you know when you’re finished a piece of artwork? Are there other questions you’ve used to help you make that determination? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below!