It's still a challenge. I keep wanting to reach for that size 2 paintbrush and apply tiny, perfect brushstrokes to paintings that are just starts.

Take this start for example. It's a painting of a Maine harbor at dawn. I was adjusting the colors and values, and... well, before I knew it, I was reaching for my tiniest brush to tweak the reflections in the water.

Arrgghh! I mean, really, the values aren't quite right in the water. That alizarin area will become rocks as I complete the painting. So, why am I working on reflections?

Okay, that's a rhetorical question. I know what's going on; this is an old, bad habit. It's so beyond 'fussy', it's bordering on neurotic.

That said, I am breaking these old, bad habits. Larger canvases are definitely helping. And, I did this 'fussy' stuff on just one of the five canvases I've started in the past week. I consider that a victory.

Dawn along coastal Maine // oil on canvas // 15" x 30"

MEMBERS COMMENTS VIEWING 1 - 1 OUT OF 1 COMMENTS From: FineArtbyRobin 03/05/2008 20:43:41 beautiful painting.. I have the opposite problem, and am so used to painting large that I gave myself a headache trying to paint smaller yesterday!