Done Is Good

 

"Bougainvillea Season," ink and watercolor,

7" x 7" Legion Stonehenge Aqua W/C 100% cotton hot press

Liking this ink-with-stick approach. It's simple, but the simplicity does allows for learning about quirks of various paint colors; composition; use of light, medium, and dark values. I overdid the darks here and added one too many layers. That's hard not to do with the color red--it's just so luscious that I get carried away. Still, this one sends out some nice, vibrant energy. I'm calling it done-is-good. 

"Done-is-good" is a mantra I picked up in graduate school from the professor who supervised my thesis research development and writing. I often wanted to keep revising ad nauseum, but "Coach" would often say, "Sometimes done is good, Suzanne." 

Though that was years ago, I continue to use that mantra with my freelancing writing/editing gigs. I am still inclined to revise too much, but "Done is good" helps me hold that impulse back and let go of the projects.

It's a good mantra for the art learning curve, as well. There's always the temptation to keep fiddling...to keep adding lines and layers. But sometimes--most times?--the less fiddling, the better. Done is good.