WIP Wednesday - Coffee Cup and Cream Painting

Happy Wednesday!

So, this isn't exactly a work in progress... this painting, I'm happy to report, is finished!

I'm really pleased with how this turned out. This was one of those paintings, however, that had some real ugly moments. I almost decided to gesso it and start over at one point. But I kept working through the ugly phase, and I'm really glad I did.

Here are some in progress shots that I hope you find helpful and inspirational.

Off to a good start!

So far, so good! I really love how the background is turning out.

Here's where I begin to dislike the direction it's going. The cream in the center is not turning out like I wanted, and I really have doubts about the saucer. I seriously consider starting over. (This, my friends, is the ugly phase.) I want the saucer to be exact. I want to replicate the beautiful pattern exactly and it really bugs me that it's not turning out that way.

Once I let go of my need for the saucer to be exact and photo-realistic, I begin to like the painting so much more. After a few days of rest, I like that the pattern on the saucer is loose and suggestive.