Saturday night flop

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Sometimes a painting is just a total loss. I have to admit that it's a little discouraging when you get to the point where you're just pushing around paint, making the thing no better (but really no worse, either). It never feels good to have a failed attempt. But if nothing else, it gave my 3 year old a chance to take a brush to canvas. 

It's been a long holiday season, with travel and a week full of family at home on our return. It's all left me rather exhausted (that, and a baby who doesn't seem to want to sleep more than an hour at a time lately). Over the past few years (since having a child, to be precise), I've learned that patience is the first thing to go for me when I'm tired. Turns out that impatience is just not a good mood for artistic endeavors--at least not for me. It takes a lot of patience to really study something and accurately represent it. Not only patience, but intense concentration. When I start thinking "let's just whip this painting out right now," I start getting careless with my strokes--and this time it just turned into a mess. Maybe I could have salvaged it. Maybe. But painting with C was a little more fun. Better luck next time (let's hope for an afternoon nap).



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