Catch
Catch (2017)
18¼x23 Pastel on Pastel Paper
Original is Available
As the day winds down, the beach is mostly empty, families pack up and head to dinner. You yourself are trudging through the sand back to your car, when a beach ball rolls across your path. In the silhouette of the sun you see the figure chasing after it. Despite your backpack and umbrella in one hand you manage to pick up the ball. He’s out of the Sun’s glare now, and you can see him clearly. You toss it to him. It’s a terrible throw, but all you’re thinking is what a Catch!
Often, when I'm working on a painting, there are parts of it I consider finished but as the rest of the painting comes together, that 'finished' part needs to be reworked. This mostly happens when I'm still working on it. On a rare occasion, I'll finish and even releas it, and not until sometime later do I think something needs to be reworked. That was the case here. A few months after releasing it, I realized (or admitted to myself) that something wasn't quite right. Nearly a year later, I was ready to take the risk of completely reopening the piece to turn it around. Happily, the gamble paid off, and I was able to transform it into the strong, striking piece it was meant to be.
