Unfinished Paintings in the Closet

As I prepared the March wall and its insect theme for Small Lives, Big Ideas, I opened the closet knowing I had "that" painting I wanted to add to the selection for March.

It turns out the closet was a treasure trove of unfinished paintings - ants, fish, sunshine and more. I set these works aside for familiar reasons: 1. I could not figure out how to finish them; 2. I grew tired of working on them; 3. the original idea stopped holding together; or 4. the reason flew into the abyss.

Treasure trove of canvas board paintings in progress.

Pulling the paintings out of the closet, I set to work. Ideas arrived immediately. The ones I couldn't figure out, suddenly it clicked. The ones I tired of had renewed energy. The ones where the original idea stopped working it either snapped back into place or shifted into something better. I suddenly was back on track.

I started completing them one by one. A few are completed and are, or will, appear at the gallery as part of Small Lives, Big Ideas. A few remain in progress and may, or may not, appear this month. Maybe one in the future. I don't know that it matters since for months or years they have lingered in the closet thus far and not complained. Eventually, each will be completed.

Come visit the insects, linger a bit, and see what they get up to when no one is paying attention.

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