When "Up, Up and Away!" really got up and left.
Recently, while working on my contribution to the Behind the Seen Exhibition, I found myself thinking of the well known idiom, "Don't beat a dead horse." I had been working on the painting but felt like I was spinning my wheels and going nowhere fast! Two days before the commission's "due date", I decided to completely rework it.
From the beginning
The initial composition captured two figures, a mom and daughter, close to the neck of a horse. I knew from the beginning, it was going to be a challenging composition to pull off. After lots of hours trying to make it work, I knew it was a "dead horse". I knew the only thing to do was to get rid of it….and rework it from scratch. Below, are a few pics from early stages:
A good choice
After I'd painted over the canvas in a light blue, and started the new composition's sketch, I knew I'd made the right decision.
It began to flow. The second rendition more clearly communicated the story I wanted to portray - a mom's desire for her daughter to transcend her obstacles and trials.
The first was just OK. The second better describes the heart of the painting's inspiration- overcoming difficulties.
It has been an honor to be selected to help portray this family's story and to be a part of Behind the Seen. I can't wait for the unveiling next month and to share it with the mom and daughter represented. I'll share more as the story unfolds.
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