"Spring, High Park" Watercolour, 28 x 17"
A while back, an artist acquaintance of mine posted on Facebook this quote from Andy Warhol: "Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art."
The great dancer and choreographer Martha Graham said this: "No artist is pleased. There is no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a queer, divine dissatisfaction..."
Then there's the old adage, "There's no accounting for taste."
My dilemma is this: How do I know if a painting is "ready for prime time"? If I'm not thrilled with it, does it follow that it's not good enough to show? Or am I too close to it to judge? Am I too hard on myself, or are my instincts sound? Should I follow Andy Warhol's advice and let others decide? Because even if I don't love it myself, somebody else might love it.
Ideally, it's probably best to put it away for a while and look at it anew some time later. But when you're up against a deadline, that may not be an option.
Sigh.