Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Repainting a finished painting...why we do it.

36 x 36 oil on panel
Lets talk about repainting an already completed painting. From my experience, if a painting sits out after completion, visible on a daily basis, it will get some corrections, or in this case a major repainting. I didn't like the middle area (marked this area in the original painting) and I also thought the painting lacked atmosphere. The colour temperature was wrong, especially in the said middle area. I couldn't remember my original colour palette, so I went ahead with the one I have been using lately. Ultramarine blue, alizarin, touch of ivory black, cadmium yellow, touch of cerulean hue, titanium white. The retouches became a major repainting because ALL of the colour temperature was wrong. Richard Schmid says that when paint looks like dirt on a painting, it means the temperature is wrong. So, here is the new with the old one as comparison. I didn't hate the umbrella painting so some of that remained unchanged.
Which one do you prefer? Just a warning, if anyone likes the old one better, I may have to stop painting forever. (Just being dramatic, I appreciate all comments.)

Do you repaint finished paintings, and if so, what inspires you to do so?

6 comments:

Barbara Muir said...

I like the second one. (Please don't quit painting forever! I love your work!) The second one, the reworked one, is more you. That's why I like it better. It's beautiful.

XOXOXOXOXO Barbara

Shelley Koopmann said...

I actually like both, but the re-worked one is my favorite. I have re-worked a few paintings and have found that some of them have turned into my favorites. When I see something that bothers me and keep working at it, I usually get to the point where I'd like to throw it away. If I leave it alone on an old easel in my studio for a long while and pick it up when I'm not sure what to paint, it seems to work. I guess I figure I have nothing to lose and it's not so "precious" to me. Love all your paintings...Even the one before you re-worked it 😍

Unknown said...

I agree that the reworked version is better - the lighter middle area and the softening of the umbrellas added to the atmospheric impression and it just works better - the earlier version was also good though. Nicely done!

Catherine Jeffrey said...

Thanks for you comment Barbara!
Shelley, its good to know that I'm not the only one who struggles with reworking paintings. I like the "nothing to lose" comment..that attitude seems to help me a lot as well.
Thanks for you comments Margaret. Its great to get feedback.

Chris Lally said...

The second one - looks more finished, more polished, more you!

Catherine Jeffrey said...

Thanks for your comment Chris!