In-Flight Refueling

"In-Flight Refueling" © 2014 J. Travis Duncan

Nobody is perfect. We've heard it time and again and, if we are honest with ourselves, we will agree that this is true about ourselves. Since there is only One who wouldn't be painted with this statement, and I am definitely not He, I will give an example of what an artist can do if he/she messes up on an acrylic painting.

"Indian Leaf Butterfly on Butterfly Bush" © 2014 J. Travis Duncan

I decided to paint an Indian-Leaf Butterfly on a Butterfly Bush the other day. Things were turning out quite well, in my opinion. Yet as I progressed, I became more and more dissatisfied with the production. I'm not sure if it was the thickness of the paint or that I didn't quite enjoy the color composition. Either way, let's just say that I felt it was a disaster. Either you clean up a disaster or you find a way to destroy the wreck. I opted for a clean up.

The thick acrylics were not yet quite dry. This allowed me to grab one of my palette knifes and begin to scrape horizontal and diagonal lines in the painting itself. I was careful to only remove paint and not to damage the canvas panel. I also wanted it to be more abstract and made sure that the lines were not straight but quickly removed. 

The second round consisted of changing some of the colors and laying down bigger swaths of those colors in the background. Once I was satisfied with this step, I had to take some time to stare and study the painting because I would need a new subject. It was like an epiphany; a ruby-throated hummingbird it would be. Finally, it needed a name. "In-Flight Refueling" fit perfectly.

The Art of J. Travis Duncan