When do you finally stop, and call it done?

I think I’ll call this one done.  How do you know you are “finally” done?  I don’t think you ever really know.

For me it is when I  feel like it is close to my vision for this painting.  I like to have it just be somewhere I can see it. Stepping back often while creating helps, in the process of deciding it is done.  I started with a picture, a resource for this painting.. about half way the picture goes away and the painting takes on a life of its own!

Seriously this does not look like the original picture used.  But I am happy with the painterly feel to this  “possibly” finished painting.   I say possibly because you can always go back and add, scrub out, rework an area.  Below are the Steps as being painted over this week .  The pictures show the progression of this painting.  4 steps before the final painting shown above.

Learning to stop ,or to even go far enough is difficult for many artist. I am no exception and I am famous for over working and becoming so attached to the original resource I am using that it becomes very stale and over worked and stiff. I’ve had to work at pushing myself to let the painting be what it is meant to be. Sometimes the art directs which way it will go. Which means I have to let go my original vision. I still have a hankering to doing a more realistic painting of this flower, which is a project for another day. Thank you for stopping by. 🙂