It has been my experience that a point is reached with any painting that the internal contradictions are so great that you either say enough is enough or you scrap the whole thing and start again.  I feel I have reached that point with this painting.  It has been a very hard struggle to get here but boy has the journey been worth it.

The purpose of the painting was two fold;  Firstly, to try and make something approaching a likeness of the model I used – I’ve achieved that within reason – there are always things I would improve but that will come in the next painting – hopefully;  Secondly, to learn what it is like to take my time over a painting and really work the process, to learn lessons about the craft of painting.  Boy have a I learnt a great deal.  And the final bonus is that the photograph doesn’t do the painting any favours which is almost a back hand complement or perhaps I’m a crap photographer – not really the case.

This has taken almost two weeks on and off and it has been exhausting.  I need to recharge my batteries and do something completely different – I know I’ll go to Germany.