What a relief! There is hope for us, the dissatisfied. My painting friend Joan often says she would not recognize me if I were not grumbling about my painting. I have often worried that I was putting many off with my dissatisfaction. It is just that I can see how the painting could be so much better. If only it could always come out the way I see it in my head at the start. It is a rare painting I finish and feel happy about. I probably still need to keep my grumbling to myself and not distract my painting partners! You are so right about knowing how to fix the bad without ruining the freshness and confident start. I have ruined paintings reaching for perfection and instead made an overworked mess. Another reason I find plein air painting so freeing! Less time to fuss. Thanks for another good read!
http://www.lisamozzini-mcdill.com/

Grumbling and whining, grumbling and whining. That's what we do. The thing is some of us start to believe we can't do it, others know it's just part of the ploy. Right on Robert.

I am never ever afraid of a blank canvas and I am usually ecstatic to put the first marks on it. Looking back, I have put some real dogs in shows and it never occurred to me to apologize. I just feel that the painting was what I could do at that point, it was an achievement for me. I don’t think anybody expects me to be perfect. I am very audacious at the primary easel and am getting more and more critical at the secondary – but I don’t see all that as very important. I will get better and progress regardless if someone sees my bad paintings or not. I suppose this would make me a HEP, but I don’t feel that I am one. I don’t feel “happy” about everything - quite contrary, I see lot of mistakes and shortcoming and I am dissatisfied a lot, but that’s just not all that important to me. The journey is important, the learning process, and the sheer opportunity to be an artist…being faithful to my art, whether anyone likes it or not.

I noticed that artists who critique other artist’s work often try to figure out if the person is LSE or if she/he has a bloated ego. That seems to affect the critique. I am always aware of that and when I receive a critique I am trying to figure out if there was any such connotation to it. The best critiques for me are the straightforward ones which just simply state what doesn’t work well in my work. If there is something extraordinarily well done, it doesn’t hurt to hear that too.

The difference between perfect and adequate is sometimes hard to identify. Is the question what communicates to the artist or is it what communicates to another person (with good eyes)?

I know I have felt dissatisfaction many times, but in my better mind I see it as having the privilege to have a voice to say something. As I see the world I come to realize the scope of that voice, and the work is kind of an editor telling me I could have said this, or I should have said that. Sometimes it is saying too much, but in this frame of mind I find Art most enlightening. I haven't been saying much lately, but it does not mean I am conceding the humble privilege. Thanks as always for the voice you give us to consider these issues. I find great meaning in the process.

I learned early on to keep my own dissatisfaction to myself. When buyers were looking over my pieces I used to make excuses for this or that in the painting which of course confused them. When I shut up about it I find that they would often select the very pieces that I was least happy with. So what do I know?
Our artistic dissatisfaction is the engine that drives you on to continually make improvements in your work. They may not be noticeable to others from one painting to the next but its a culmlative thing. Over the course of a year you should have noticeably shown growth as a painter. There are very few paintings in my archive that I would be 100% happy with today.

I find myself quite satisfied with my work . . . right after it's finished. However, if I see it several months or years later, I notice areas that I should have done differently. Those who commissioned the portraits never seem to agree and I can seldom make changes. Since my clients all want their piece yesterday, I do not have the luxury of turning it to the wall for a couple months and going back to make changes. So I end up being both satisfied then dissatisfied with the same work. This may be a good thing, since I file away what I should have done and try not to make the same 'mistakes' again.

My dearest friend and mentor for 35 years was the world renown artist, Paul Cadmus, until his death in 1999 at the age of 95. I learned much from Paul as a person who was quick to express his own humility. If someone praised his work he always said thank you so much. He wasn't grateful (he didn't have to be!) but he was polite.

I could go on and on about him but the above will do for now. I am the executrix of his estate along with my husband, Jon F. Anderson, who is the executor of same. During the last few years I've been archiving Paul's copious letters, photos, etc. Some day soon they will find a home perhaps in the Smithsonian Museum or Yale's Bienake library.

www.philisraskind.com

I felt like you understand why I work so hard to just do what I do. People hate me and well so what? I am fighting every second even when I close my eyes to sleep. Life is hard and it doesn't stop just because I am sleeping. It goes on with the freedom of entering noises and voices into my ungaurded conscience and there begins
the comlexity of seeing images talking and moving my limbs as if I were alive.

The images are quite interesting and their effect lasts long after you can no longer see the colour image in your mind. Arguing this doesn't really make any sense anymore than admitting this connection because then we can not stop there can you.?

Simply understand and move on like quietly walking in the dark.

I too, am constantly second guessing myself at the easel. I have a great idea for a painting in my mind. I begin the sketch full of hope. But at each stage, I think to myself, “this is definitely not working.” However, I keep at it out of pure stubbornness and hope. Little by little the image seems to come around and at the end of the process, I usually have something that I am quite proud of. Its not perfect though, so I am always learning and attempting to better the previous painting. This is my 27th RiverStone pastel painting and I don’t think I am quite there yet. Oh, well, tomorrow is another day!
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Every painting is a tightrope balancing act on so many different fronts. It's like when a painting is 'done'. A painting is never done,yet we have made a decision to call it quits and to move on the next project. Artists are called to make many of these arbitrary decisions. I tend to favor leaving my paintings a bit loose, rather than overworking and killing my mediums freshness. Some might see that as a failure and feel I should have worked further. I am never satisfied with any of my paintings but have learned to view it as each painting is taking me on a journey towards discovery and improvement. It's always 'the next one" that might be good. I don't let my dissatisfaction cripple me. Artists need to learn how to take a compliment. I remember being mentored with this skill. I was told not to follow a compliment of my work by getting critical of it. Just say 'thank you. I am glad you like the painting" and keep my critique to myself. It is easier on me and also values your viewer as well. Let them enjoy your painting. This involves a concept I think is critical for the artist.....ego management. We all know artists who lack ego balance. They seem egomaniacal or suicidally depressed. The trick is to find balance. This is no easy feat and takes constant practice. A show I have going now has been a dismal failure as far as sales. Naturally I am disappointed. I thought the show was attractive, well hung and the pricing was very realistic. I thought I would sell alot paintings. I didn't. I can't be paralyzed with grief, lose all confidence in my abilities, blame all sorts of people and other factors for the poor results. I need to go through the emotions I am likely to feel and then pick myself and my paintings up and move on. I have to learn something from the experience and I am sure i will. I'm part of another show in a couple weeks and am making paintings for that show. It's not easy to put your paintings up on the wall for the public to judge. There are many things that aren't easy about an artistic career. You have to learn to deal with both success and failure.

All artists, without exception, and all people, MUST get it into their heads that we ALL are simply a work in progress. I advise my students to be very careful with negative self criticsm, and to embrace constructive self criticism. And not to apologize uneccessarily and often about their work. And I advise myself that as well. Be very very careful that you void competitive posturing which may result in self put downs. An artist's life is a life's process. We improve slowly at times, quickly at times, and other times maybe we "seem" to take a step backwards. Go with that flow. Accept it. Look for the problems in your/our work. Try to learn how to learn from them and fix them. It all takes time.. like anything else worth doing well.

My dissatisfaction show up thusly: when I paint again, it's not primarily to paint something else, it's to get it right. It shows up as a sort of psychic itch. I read elsewhere on these posts a remark from someone who said she/he would probably quit when it came out perfectly. I have that feeling sometimes myself, but am consoled that I'm not very close.

Dissatisfaction is a characteristic of a questing mind. It has to do with making choices, exploring possibilities. There may always be the question, even when you've done something you like, as well as you can at the time: But what if I'd done it this way instead? So maybe that will be answered in the next painting.

Why apologize? You have done your best and, although you might not be totally satisfied with the result, the viewer might not like your product you owe him/her only what he/she sees.

I have come to feel that my paintings have a 'teenage' awkward stage. If I can work through it, get beyond it, I have something rather grown up and valuable.

Please, Anyone, define for me the "primary easel" and
the "secondary easel." Are these somethings that I
should have learned in the art schools which I never had
the nerve to attend?

primary easel is the one on which you paint. Secondary is the one where you put your work in progres to just look at and analyze.

I tend to overcritize my own work too much. I realize we must examine our work carefully to see where, perhaps, we are lacking in our skills or are not following through with the elements principles that make a painting work. But, sometimes I am too critical and that can be disturbing. Your advice is worthy of saving to critique my next painting.