Never Be In Love With Your Work

I hear this phrase often. I think about this phrase often. I believe it applies to everyone even if you are not an artist. My background is in programming and medical art. As a programmer, I write code. I get an idea and I start on the architecture. Hours into a project I will look at it and realize it is not good code. What is bad code? Code that repeat itself or not clear for anyone else to understand. What happens is a mental conversation with myself. Do I love it too much to be afraid to change it? I weigh the pros and cons. This happens in art. You see three portraits. The first one on the left helped me set up a basic foundation of what I wanted to create. As I started painting, I realize I need to change it. The middle one is the first layer of oil painting. When I step back from the painting, I realized the anatomy needed work.

Out came the anatomy books. What you see are the muscles of the eye. Palpebral orbicularis makes up the involuntary reflex and Orbital orbicularisis is responsible for the voluntary actions of the eye. I delve into the fat, and the layers of the eye. When I went back to the painting I was able to create the last image you see. Will I change it again? Yes. If I fall in love with what I do, I won't improve.

If you want to know more eye facts, leave me a comment.