I think it’s important as an artist to keep painting new things and trying new ideas. Not every painting is great and some are just learning experiences! The latest painting I’ve been working on is based on a photo I took many years ago of sea foam at the beach. I loved the colorful bubbles and my own warped shadows on the bubbles. I forced myself to finish this painting, but it was a struggle. Here is the finished painting, along with some work in progress photos.
Cindi Handy 
thank you for sharing your intentions and results. What was a struggle and why don’t you like it? What did you learn?
Thank you for following my blog Ruth. To answer your questions – This painting took me about 100 hours to paint, and it can be very frustrating when it does not turn out the way I imagined in my head. I miss the shadows and depth of my usual paintings. As an abstract type of piece, I think it’s fine, but I really love to do more realistic three-dimensional subjects for my paintings. The painting appears flat to me (as the subject matter actually is flat) and I couldn’t come up with a way to show any depth. With every painting I learn something new. For this one I should have been bolder in the beginning with the colors. I should have practiced the bubbles more before I started on the larger painting. And I also think it might have been better as a smaller piece or if I cropped it down and focused on just one area.
thank you so much for sharing your thinking. I’d love to see it in person. Will you submit it to shows? You would then have the advantage of others responses. I’m really just a beginner but I think your ideas of how to enhance the painting and yield more shadows and depth seem right.
it may also be that you can’t ever replicate that childhood image and emotion. I will visit the Annual show at Old Forge. Congratulations on showing there again!
No plans to submit it to any shows yet, but who knows. 🙂 Thanks Ruth!