1st Photos "Rosa Azul" Blue Felted Handbag

This bag is coming along nicely - but not finished.

I often take photos of my works in progress in order to see what's working & what's not - sort of a "forest for the trees" thing. It's common, I think, for the artist to get too finely focused & too caught up in the detail work to see the flaws in the overall design. It's easy to overwork a project, too, & end up killing it. That's why painters will stand back from the easel frequently or turn the canvas upside-down. I've even used a mirror to look at my paintings & have found glaring flaws that I simply couldn't see otherwise. I know writers that will put their manuscripts away to let them "percolate." When they come back to them, it's with a fresh perspective that will either spur rewrites or tell them that their book is finished.

This photo is a good example of what I'm talking about.This is my perspective of a project most of the time. At this distance, I'm happy with what I see. But, when I step back & look at Rosa Azul as a whole (as in the top photo) I can see that it still needs.....something. It's bottom-heavy, I think. The eye is drawn too quickly to the flower embellishment & just stops there. All art, like a good story, needs a beginning, a middle, & an end. This bag has a decent middle (the pointed flap) & a bang-up ending (the flowers), but the beginning is so weak it's almost non-existent. I need to work on that...& quickly. The big art festival is just 2 days away & I want this piece to be there.

Wish me luck!