Small changes

  

Ray
Acrylic on canvas
16 x 20 inches
Barbara Muir © 2012

"Sometimes the smallest changes make a big
difference to a painting," a friend at the art
group I belong to once said.  Tonight I'm showing
you a painting I started at portrait night
with my group in 2009.  The model was a
wonderful young man who'd just moved
to Toronto from the states I think.  I seem to
 remember that he was a journalist.

 Ray
Acrylic on canvas
16 x 20 inches
Barbara Muir © 2009

I don't usually change a painting because someone
makes a comment about it, unless I've deliberately
sought advice, or the person wanting the change
is a portrait client.  But my son didn't like the colour
of the model's T-shirt, so I thought I'd change it.
Now it's blue, and I think he's right -- it does make
a stronger painting.  I also made a few other small
changes, like the bright yellow in the background
 that I put on with a palette knife. I'm happy with it
now.  It's still a sketch, but it has more power.

Have a making-small-changes day