I have been working on this panel off and on since March, and it is causing me such problems. Someone asked me, “how do you know when youre finished?”, and the answer is, when its as you internally visualise,  sometimes that comes straight away with out any effort, and sometimes as in this case, I have to work and rework, and rework until I get there, or trash it, which this piece is in serious danger of having done to it. I have been to the Scottish Isles and spent much time gazing in awe at the geology and stratigraphy, and taking countless photographs of such phenomena, it was so inspiring, the shapes and colours and textures, it will be interesting to see how this transfers to my work!

This week has been just one of those weeks, full of tedium and minor frustrations, nothing life threatening, but very very frustrating. My internet connection has been playing up, making logging on a work of art, rather tham my work being a work of art. My mobile ran out of money and then, went and hid from me, and because it needed topping up, wouldnt let me ring it to find it. Finally, my panel has been playing the “you’re not going to finish me yet game”, which meant that each time I thought I had got to the end of a process(layering), I discovered something else needed application. It is now Friday and I will be glad to reach the end of this week with my sanity intact. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!

I have worked this weekend mostly on re-viewing, re-working, re-painting, and re- gilding. This is a tricky time for me, will the panel look as I have it in my head after all the processes have gone through, and sometimes the answer is absolutely not. This is the point when you wish that the process was less complex, and now the re-think and processes have to be gone through again. Currently the panel I am working on has has two new layers added, and has been under painted gilded and distressed every time, I am now witing to regild!!!! Although I must say that lengthy as this process is, it has previously resulted in one of my favourite pieces, lets hope the same will apply on this occasion. The next panel to be attacked is one that I have had languishing at the back of the studio, in the naughty corner so to speak. This panel went astray, and needs to be completely re-worked, I assess all of next will at least be taken up with this recalcetrant piece. At present all options are open, including being scrapped, or even in extremis, cut up.