Dara Alter - "There is no focus and it is so busy"

Dara Alter - Places of Origin - 101cm x 76cm - Acrylic

Places of Origin was painted from memory and imagination. I was hoping to create an engaging piece that brought the imagery of 'the wall' to interact with land mass and passages of a built urban landscape. Instead of a cohesive work, I found myself with a cartoony divisive image separated into different quadrants. It seems like there are at least three separate works on one canvas. There is no focus and it is so busy that it makes me uneasy to look at for more than a few seconds.

Recognizing the problem areas in this work has had a positive impact on work that came later. It made me really aware of considering a painting's unity and overall strength during all parts of the painting process. In this painting's case, I attacked the painting with my idea, and didn't diverge from that plan even though it wasn't working. Now I've learned to remove myself from my plans where I may follow them to some extent, but I realize the necessity of going where the painting takes you.

People agree with me when I point the issues out to them. However, some people actually like this painting.

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