Mozart or Beethoven??

Capt. Hook in progress, 4" x 4"

It's said that Mozart could sit down and compose even the most complex symphonic music without hesitation and produce a flawless score, free of corrections. Beethoven, on the other hand, was said to struggle with everything he wrote, suffering through multiple revisions of scores (with much wailing and gnashing of teeth) before he considered them finished.

I am definitely a Beethoven. I seldom put a wash down on my paper and walk away satisfied with the results. Revisions pile on top of revisions. Colors get pushed around, shifted in hue, and lifted back to reveal what I want my painting to say. There are probably times when I should just hang it up and start over, but I'm too stubborn to admit defeat.

So it is with the current small painting. Paint has been washed on, scrubbed off, painted over until I'm tired of looking at it. I've started modelling parts of the bird into the third dimension, but there are still lots of details needed to complete the painting. Masking fluid has been removed from around the eye and on the body, but not from the beak at this point. I thought I'd show you where I am with it tonight and then I'll do one more post when it's finished.