Not by the hair on my chinny chin chin!

This post is consumed by goats (well not literally but you know what I mean). A number of months ago I did this little plein air study of a pair of goats.

 A curious encounter, Goats, California

 14X18     Acrylic on board

To be honest, I found it a little unremarkable. But some weeks later in my studio I decided to try something a lot more contemporary and freer with it's application of  both color and it's representation of a goat scene.

Goats on Green

36X24        Acrylic on board

I painted the first 80% of it and enjoyed myself so much I thought I'd start another bigger one... I soon took this painting to about the same level 80% finished. I then found I had stopped, so I went off and painted other paintings, and from time to time I came back and fiddled, and changed things but never got either of them closer to completion.

The goat herd, California

30X48        Acrylic on board

What I enjoyed most about the process was the liberating expression,  I could stand at the canvas and add a little different color here or there, or wherever I chose, it was put simply a wonderful creative freedom. However, this act was also it's Achilles heel; because there was always a little more 'playing' to be had. Settling on a finished painting was difficult. In the end I refined small details and sat them aside, labeling them as done... But the urge to pick up a brush and play with more color is a strong one.

Painting these goats has been an interesting process for me, these urges to fiddle with color, and work with little clear plan is unusual for me. I'm unclear at the moment, whether working in such unfamiliar territory with no time constraints, was a healthy growing process for me or not, perhaps time will tell?