How do you know when a painting is finished?

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One of the most common questions I get is, “How do you know when a painting is finished?”

This is especially relevant for abstract art of course, because we  are not replicating something real. That means presumably we could go on for ever.

So it's a great question and the answers might vary from artist to artist. Many people will say "I just feel it in my body" and that's true for me too ... I can be working on a piece for a while and then suddenly make one move, and realise that it is done. But that feeling in my gut is backed up by some sound criteria and that's what I want to share with you today.

I know what I want my work to feel like. I know how I want it to look. And that is guided by what I personally love in an artwork (if you've been following me for a while, you know that I think all artists need to be guided by themselves and what they personally respond to).  So, I know that I want my work to have a sense of drama, energy and emotion. I want it to be layered, so that you see prior layers peeping through, creating a sense of depth and a little mystery (what does that word say? what is that shape I can just see?). I want it to look bold and striking from far away but I want it to also contain intimacy, so that it rewards the viewer who comes close and looks for a while.

Not every painting will have all of these, but they must have a significant percentage before I consider them finished.

So the answer to the question "is this painting finished?" really starts before you even pick up a paintbrush. The answer is really another question: "what did you want it to do and has it done that?"

And this is the part so many beginning and early-stage artists artists leave out: they don't know what they are trying to achieve, so they don't know how to judge when a painting is finished.

In this video, I go through my recent work piece by piece and show you how I judge my own work based on my own criteria. Give it a try with your own work and let me know what you discover!

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