Process if not Progress

It's nearly a week later and though I have put at least 24 painting hours into this painting and it's not yet done. As the drawing was fleshed out as a painting there were areas which require attention and changes. In painting the initial set up, the body of the bright red cup presented itself as too demanding an area , taking away the viewer's attention from the other parts of the painting without offering the viewer much to hold on to. And so I rearranged the cup so that the handle presents itself. I really like this change. In some ways it's less aesthetic but in other ways it really gives the viewer a challenge and acts as a conduit between the top and the bottom halves of the set up. The original flat looking red cup area became a a waste land in which the eye did not want to cross.

More importantly, the change made me happy and I am one for going with gut feelings when my intellectual idea is lacking. There are other parts of this painting that have not yet resolved themselves in my mind. I hope to have it completed by the end of the weekend. (yes, painters work weekends too). As the painting process takes place progress is made.