It doesn’t always go so smoothly in the studio. I’m constantly revising, and not always with happy results.

This particular piece was started on Day 3. I rather liked the first version, but when I decided it wasn’t finished, I ended up with an awful second version. Luckily, encaustic is endlessly workable, so a piece is rarely ruined.

At that point, I decided that I just didn’t like the shape of the bird, so I kept trying to counter-balance the shape of the bird with other compositional elements.

Have I succeeded? I have a few more weeks before the show goes up. My motto is always, “If it’s still in the studio, it’s fair game.” Until something leaves my studio permanently, I’m always tempted to work on it again. But maybe this one is finished?