Constant Nagging of an Idea

Tranquility - 16 x 20

Oil on Canvas

$900

Copyright Dena McMurdie 2009

Ideas for paintings are really finicky things. Sometimes I will get an idea for a painting and then forget all about it a few minutes later. Other times however, the idea sticks in the forefront of my mind and nags at me until I get it done. This was the kind of idea that "Expectations" was. I got the initial idea two years before I was able to complete it. It took me those entire two years to get it worked out to where I was happy with it.

Those sorts of ideas constantly nag at my brain until I put in the effort to get them done. The catch is this: If I finish a painting that has been nagging at me and I'm not happy with the result, then my brain continues to nag at me, telling me to try again until I get it right. It can be extremely frustrating, but I've noticed that when I put the proper amount of sweat and tears into a painting, it turns out right.

And once I sign my name to the finished surface of a painting I am proud of, the nagging stops.