Deerskull

24” x 16” Oil on Canvas

November 2005

I did this study of a deerskull in six sessions - six layers of painting, with each layer informing the next.

From my notes during the last painting session:

“I keep thinking that if I can finish this painting - successfully - that I’ll be happy that I’ll be content. But none of them are ever successful...

It’s only ‘done’ because I have stopped working on it.

I wish it were a better painting but it’s not -

it’s not going to get better by working on it further...”.