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I was recently introduced to Anne Lamott's book, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. (Of course, the title itself piqued my interest, though it is not about birds!)

Not far into the book - in fact I was still perusing the introduction - something I read stopped me in my tracks. Anne is sharing advice from her father, also a writer, encouraging her to write: 

"Do it every day for a while... Do it by prearrangement with yourself. Do it as a debt of honor. And make a commitment to finishing things" (emphasis mine). 

Bird by bird.

I put the book down and knew I had to go paint. You see, I had just found a few unfinished paintings while going through piles of art stuff in my framing room. (Ok, I have found more than a few, but one thing at a time, right? Bird by bird.) I'm pretty sure they were set aside because I wasn't happy with them at the time and had moved on to other paintings.

This one had potential.

One such painting is shown above. I had painted a smaller, simpler version as an original watercolor card awhile back and had liked it so much that I decided to create a larger version.

I was happy with the bird, and I liked that the painting was still fresh and the colors were clear. However, the painting wasn't balanced and I really didn't like the hard 90 degree angle in the branches. I also felt stronger value and additional subtle shapes were needed in places.

One wash.

I lightly drew in shapes all over the piece, mixed up a few puddles of paint, and painted around all of the shapes (negative painting) in one wash, varying color and value as I went.

I was happy with the result and thrilled that one pass made such a difference! After further review, I decided that I needed more blue on the lower half of the painting so I added another glaze in select areas. You can see the final painting at the top of the page.

Your turn.

What do you have lying around the house that needs to be finished? It may be something that needs just a bit of time and effort to complete. Even if it turns out not to be worth saving (I've had a few of those, too), there is the feeling of satisfaction that comes with finishing a thing. 

Paint. Love. Repeat.