The Walrus Painting That Refused to Behave: An Old Closet Rescue

Original walrus painting

Slightly updated walrus painting.

A more updated version of the walrus painting.

A more updated version of the walrus painting.

An even more updated version of the walrus painting.

I found another painting in the closet.

This one might be the oldest yet.

I remember starting it many years ago with a very specific idea: walruses. That was the plan. A walrus painting from closet storage that was going to be simple, direct, and clear.

Unfortunately, what showed up on the canvas looked less like walruses and more like something with the face of a monkey that had wandered into the wrong story. It just didn’t feel right, no matter how long I worked at it. I can't even remember the inspiration for this painting anymore.

So, I kept working. And working. And working some more.

Eventually, it went into the closet. I couldn't take the walruses that looked like monkeys anymore.

Over the years, I’ve pulled it out of the closet a time or two. I’d take a look, shake my head, and put it right back where it came from. Those walruses just WANTED to be monkeys. It became one of those pieces that curses me from the closet - thankfully a place I couldn't hear it very often!

Then came this latest closet-cleaning frenzy, and out it came again.

And something felt different. I was determined. It would not win again.

In the years it was tucked away, my style changed. I changed. I learned how to loosen my grip a little, how to stop forcing an image into behaving and instead follow where it wants to go.

So, here it is again, still in transition, still figuring itself out, but no longer stuck in the same place it started. The colors are not quite sorted out. I am hoping the will settle and sort out over the next few weeks.

This walrus painting from closet storage is not a failed attempt. It’s a record of change.

I hope it will be finished soon - maybe it will surprise me. I am just ready to put an almost 20-year project in the win column.

I am curious whether this is counted as a "new" painting or whether this is an "old" painting when asked.

Either way, who knows? Maybe the best part is still ahead of it.

Thanks for reading The 3rd Flamingo—a blog for art lovers, creative wanderers, and anyone who’s ever made a beautiful mess.