No, not quite. But the painting is done. Each piece of artwork has three stages.

Creation: Establishing the idea and the message. Sketching, drafting, sweating, cursing. Getting an idea down in black and white, or grey, or blue. Whatever. Sketchpads, notebook pages, cocktail napkins, back of my hand.

Implementation: Painting, drawing, carving, printing, adding and subtracting. Never quite sure when this is actually ‘finished’ and I usually stop before I think I need to. Also includes establishing the format and preparing the surface.

Finishing: Varnishing, polishing, waxing, framing, and doing everything after the actual painting of the piece in order to render it a complete and finished piece.

So, ‘Birch Interlace’ has been painted. Not completely satisfied, and I could probably fuss with it endlessly, but it has been more than 10 days since I established the background and I can’t really add much to it without the possibility of some flaking and peeling. It is a perfect excuse to STOP.

STOPping is the hardest part in most pieces. Endless fussing. Endless changes and endless ideas of what would make it better. I could move some of the sunset colors into the foreground, I could work up more of the tree branches with some more detail and shading, add some more white highlights to the moon, or I could just STOP.

Varnishing will have to wait a few weeks, to ensure the curing of the paint is complete. I’ll cover it with a soft cloth to keep out the dust, and set it aside until the end of April, when I will decide on a finishing coat. Varnish is the usual method, but I’ve heard that a soft wax can give a protective coating as well, with a soft sheen.

Thank you for working with me on this one. Check ‘page’ for the ‘Final Photos’ collection of Angelus Project artwork.

KJN