Learning to let it go

I decided to call this one Ducks on a Pond, and I confess I'm not liking it quite as much as the aqua ones. I don't think it's because the blues are darker; I think it's because the balance is off: it needs a third color, or maybe more white?

But I am still very happy exploring this process. I think, because technique and composition are somewhat removed from the equation I can take this as an opportunity to learn more about color: what appeals, what works, which ones interact well... So yes, I am still experimenting, but having removed some of the variables I suspect the results will be more productive.

Intriguingly enough, that's the second time concepts of scientific rigor have come up in this context: I'm happy to see my left brain kicking in in a more useful way, offering expertise instead of criticism or control (its more typical functional responses).

Part of the challenge of becoming an artist late in a life of predominantly left-brain activity is finding ways to incorporate intelligence without being micromanaged by my perfectionist streak. Which means another of the joys of this extended period of self-isolation has been that it allows space for my right brain (which generally prefers to hide in the shadows for fear of being mocked) to step forward, to get a stronger sense of itself, to feel more free to express itself.

Which is a lovely thing, I must say -- and, having realized that at some level that is what this painting represents, I'm liking it more, and am less inclined to "fix" the things my left brain perceives as imperfect. In the words of the Frozen song -- "Let it go, let it go!"