"How do you know when a piece is finished?" I'm asked this question the most about my art.
So, how do I know when a piece is finished. Well, I actually don't think a piece is ever finished, and here's why.
A canvas speaks to me and that's a never ending conversation. Long after the last brush stoke sweeps over the canvas, it still has something to say. When I start a piece and work through it, the canvas tells me what it needs - where the next mark goes, what color it's starving for. I may encounter an awkward pause in the conversation and not know what to do next. During these moments I step back and reflect on what has been said so far and just wait for the conversation to naturally start back up. And when it does, I go back to work.
It isn't until the canvas' voice quiets down and turns to a soft whisper that I know I can declare a piece "done."
As I said, a canvas will always speak to me, whether it's sitting on my easel, hanging on my wall, or adding energy to someone else's home. But there's a point when one more mark will take the conversation into a totally different direction, which is fine, I just have to decide if it's the next conversation I want to have.