Check the classroom for the recording if you missed the meeting. There may be something in it that also applies to you!

I’ve recently been working on small figurative paintings. I’m interested in keeping the structure abstract and economical, but still specific enough to get a baseline understanding of the image/quick mood read from across the room. A recurring wall is knowing when the painting has already reached its strongest point. I often establish the large shapes and energy fairly quickly, but once it begins working, I start explaining it too much: correcting anatomy, adding modeling, or clarifying details--and often lose the ambiguity or tension that made it interesting. Sharing progress shots of this painting because I’m still unsure where the strongest stopping point was. I nearly gave up on it at one stage (image 3), left it for a week, and then came back and found a way through. But now I’m questioning whether I over-rendered the clothing. Does it still read as one large structural mass, or has it become too descriptive compared with the rest of the painting? I’d love to hear from you all: what signs do you use to recognize when a painting feels "done"?

For tomorrow's critique club. thanks! I've been exploring Bear and Mask. This combination feels important, but I'm still figuring her out. Working on a submission for a group show opportunity that could result in funding and other support.

I thought I'd dig up mine after our Critique Club meeting this past weekend. Watch the recording to catch up. Ship at Land's End, oil on panel, 9"x12 Container Ship, oil on panel, 3"x7" ? Looking toward Marin from Land's End, oil on panel, 9"x12"