Is it done yet?
I put in all the planned elements for this painting and part of me thinks something is still missing, the other part of me says “don’t ruin it”. Or, one could say, quit while you’re ahead. I decided to put it aside for a while. Maybe it is finished. Maybe not.
Inspiration for this painting came from two sources. One was seeing the art of Jorge Alio in a gallery in the Distillery District of Toronto. I liked his style between realism and abstract. It left many details to the imagination and I found his works captivating. I was telling a good friend about this and he stated what should have been nearly obvious. “You sail, you like boats, paint that.” Paint what you know, photograph what you know. I had heard the suggestion before. Putting the inspiration of Jorge Alio together with a memory of a street performer in Key West who walked along asking “Do you want me to play a ditty?” and holding a concertina, this was the result. It doesn’t look like I’d envisioned, which made the process more interesting and a bit of a surprise. Plus, I may use the same inspiration for another image.
Wharf Urchin - Brian Kelly, 2010 acrylic on masonite, 11″ x 14″
- the Muse
