Lost Momentum…

I’ve often joked if I were ever to win the lottery, I’d buy myself a large studio with a bedroom and  kitchen attached, perhaps a nice little sunny garden too. I’ve always imagined, a larger studio would house my ever growing collection of unfinished paintings, the ones I’ve been hanging on to in the hope one day I might return and complete.

Every so often as I contemplate my shrinking space, I look at some of these paintings and tell myself I really ought to make a decision about these one way or the other; complete them or get rid of them forever. I appreciate for many of us artists, quite a lot of what we produce does not actually see the light of day but is there any reason why we hang on to some of them rather for longer than we ought?

I probably start those paintings in a flash of inspired and energetic genius and then find myself losing momentum as another spark of genius hits me mid-brushstroke. Time to abandon the current painting and begin a new one before that energy also leaves me forever. 

I am sure this is not a unique situation for me and my fellow artists will testify to this with stories of their own, so seriously what should we do? What would you do? Complete the painting or leave them as they are as some kind of legacy to posterity so some psychoanalyst can perhaps explain the mind of some long departed artist to try and unravel the the story they were trying to tell? Or perhaps figure out at what point and where exactly it was they lost the momentum? Or maybe showcase the initial burst of creativity, whilst projecting their own narratives on the unfinished piece? 

Is it possible to rekindle the fires that first started the painting or do they belong to a time that is now past? As an artist, deciding whether to finish an abandoned painting can be a bit of an internal struggle. One thing I do know, you can’t force it, as we risk losing the spontaneity and authenticity, whilst leaving it unfinished might prevent it from reaching its full potential. 

Ultimately, the choice to finish a painting lies in the delicate balance between honouring the initial spark of inspiration and embracing the potential for growth and transformation. It is a struggle that requires introspection, as we ponder our original intentions and our emotional connection with the work.

So whilst I’m trying to make up my mind, my collection continues to grow and my dreams of a larger studio as elusive as my lottery win.

Tell me, as an artist how do you handle this, as a non-artist or collector, what would you say to us artists? Do please comment below and lets start the discussion.

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