When To Break It OFF

McMinnville Farmhouse, November 2023

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  Last November 2023 I went for a drive around the McMinnville, Oregon area. I had just gone to pick up a bike for my husband's Christmas gift in Corvallis. It was one of those rare, beautiful sunny Fall afternoons. As I was driving down a two-lane country road, I saw this lovely scene to my right- a beautiful farmhouse atop a green hill flanked by two glorious trees with flaming red leaves. It captured my attention, so I stopped my car to take a picture of it. I thought what a lovely painting this would make.

Fast forward to early springtime and I was looking for a new painting project. I decided to paint the farmhouse. I loved how dramatic it looked. The house against the pale blue sky with the red trees and the rolling hills leading up to it. OK! I was in.

I decided on an 18" x 24" canvas for this work. I painted over another painting from years ago and perhaps this was an omen for me. I progressed with confidence and laid out the landscape and blue sky. All was going well. I continued onward with the long driveway and other elements of the painting. But I purposely left out the farmhouse for later.

At some point, it really hit me. The focus of the painting was the farmhouse. It was too far back on my canvas. Alarm bells rang. I had put too much real estate on the canvas on the rolling green hills and driveway leading up to the house. But I thought, I should keep seeing it through. In hindsight, I should have called it off then. But I did not. Instead, I moved to another painting I was also working on and focused on that. I thought I need some time to think about the farmhouse painting.

Returning to my farmhouse a couple of months later, I realized it was not going to work with the layout I chose for the canvas. I made the decision to let it go and paint over the canvas to use again later for another painting.

It happens to every artist. It is just part of the experience. You start out with great expectations; you do the work and explore the project. But at some point, it causes you anxiety and indecision. That is when you need to call it. Better to break if off than spend more time on a poor decision. Sound familiar?

We can use this situation for many life situations. When to stop trying to make a painting, a project or yes, even a relationship, become what you had hoped it would. For now, I think I will just frame my photo of the farmhouse and hang it on a wall.

Thanks for reading. 💛 💚 💙