Nervous Breakdown! Nervous Breakdown!

Late last night, I realized I still needed to make a painting. I thought this one would be simple, since it was basically rocks, ocean, and some sort of machinery or pipe at the Oceanside Harbor.
This is what happens when I engage in PWT-- Painting While Tired-- it quickly goes from painting while tired to painting while delirious.
"What is That?" 9 x 12 Pastel on paper
I finally thought I had finished the picture, then woke up today and realized it needed work. So tonight, I went through round two of painting while delirious. I almost threw it away a few times because I got so frustrated-- I would lose my lights, lose the edges on the rocks, keep drawing a piece of metal that looked like a giant grasshopper...
Finally, just as I was about to banish this picture to the Epic Fail pile (my art students know all about that pile), I redrew the end of the pipe (?) and simplified the shape.
I guess since the shape of the pipe was what inspired me to take the photo, I should have remembered to keep my focus on that. I'll try to paint earlier tomorrow.
Look on my "Patience" page for this week's collaboration with the little one, and on the Merry Weather page for a pastel of some houses along the canal in Venice, CA.

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