There are times when you need to step back and decide that a piece of art is finished. There are also times when you can't stand to look at it any more. Or you realise that painting in one colour really isn't all that interesting, and if you squint your eyes to figure out which line goes where a second longer, they might very well start bleeding. Then it's also time to stop.
This is based on a photo I took in Rome a few years ago, which I always liked - the statue was on a high inset plinth, and seemed to be descending like a messenger. Without a head, I don't think the message would have gone very far - interpretive dance, maybe? - but it still struck me as interesting.
I don't normally draw from photos - I prefer life, or to make things up, because I have an inner snob that tells me I should use a photocopier if I want to copy a picture, 'because there's no skill in it'. There is - I'm just jealous of people who can draw photo-realistically, because I really don't have the patience or aptitude. However, it's too hot to spend long outdoors (I tried drawing the Torre del Mangia, but I had to give up after 30 minutes), and I'm not really competent enough to make things up entirely - the whole point of my sudden 'I should start drawing again' phase is that I should practise accurate observation. I've already gained plenty of bad habits - I need to sit down and learn important things like perspective and decent anatomy.
I also took pictures of it as I sketched/painted, so I've been flicking back and forward between destruction and creation like some kind of mad despot.
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