Navigating Influences Print

As I began creating this piece, I was interested in trying something that did not have a face, as I usually do. But I wanted to keep with my style of bold lines (thick and thin) and interesting colours, although here the colours are quite muted. And texture, once again, made it's appearance, which has become a big passion for me. As I worked on it, I thought I would share the "work in progress". At the time it was all white, and a friend of mine, who is a well respected artist, said "Stop right there! Leave it as is." Now, here's the problem... how does one continue? Do I listen and stop, and essentially turn this into something that isn't all mine? Do I not listen and do wild colours? I had actually considered doing an all white piece. But when someone (even a person I highly respect) tells me to do something, the rebel in me very definitely wants to do the exact opposite. It was a very real problem!! I was in a mental tizzy, and it actually became a very uncomfortable situation. When I finally got through to the end (and promised myself I would never share a work in progress picture again, until the piece was finished), I stood back and I saw the journey that took place. Interestingly, it's a journey we all go through, as we grow and learn. Everyone has something to say. The tricky part is knowing what to learn from and what to ignore. I believe we all need to listen to advice. But it can be very difficult to know what is good for us. Navigating Influences. The journey of a lifetime. Navigating Influences is 24" wide x 36" high x 1.5" deep (60.96 cm wide x 91.44 cm high x 3.81 cm deep), finished with a black edge to compliment the graphic nature of this acrylic painting on canvas.