Odd Job

As an artist with a lengthy reputation of reliability and skill in the same county for several decades, I get asked to do many odd things in the name of art. It is just part of the business of art.

Some friends have a painting of Mineral King by a long-deceased relative, someone who wasn’t very familiar with Mineral King. They didn’t like something about it, and asked me if I could change it. I enjoy challenges like this, so I said yes. The back of the painting is signed with the year 1964.

What’s wrong with this picture?
My friends’ beef with the painting is the scary face in the rock.
The lump on Farewell Gap really bothered me.
Little Red Riding Hood is seriously out of proportion; the upper body is too big for the lower body.
Scary face gone!
Lumpectomy performed on the right flank of West Florence (and Bearskin added to Vandever).
Now Little Red Riding Hood will be able to hike better.

Mucho Bettero. My friends reassured me that Great Aunt Whose-it won’t haunt me for messing with her painting. Someday in the future, someone may retouch my paintings, and to them I say, “Go for it!”

Recommended Posts

8 Comments

  1. As an amateur painter, having a professional “edit” my work and improve it without asking for recognition, would be a dream come true. It’s done in literature all the time–and with big publishers, even expected!

    • Hey Louise, I am an Art Editor too! Thank you for the vote of confidence (and I’d like to find someone to edit my own paintings).

  2. Much improved! I say a job well done!

    • Thank you, Dan. My changes allowed me to look at the painting without twitching.

  3. Interesting–I would hesitate in changing anything created by another artist (similar to ripping out an afghan and changing yarn colors). OTOH (know that one?), the original painter is not in a position to complain, so . . . !

    • ON THE OTHER HAND!! I figured it out all by myself. 😎 The ethics of changing something are a bit squishy. Since Aunt Whose-it is long gone with no mention of her offspring, the current owner couldn’t stand the painting one more day, and I know how to fix without changing the style of the painter, why not?

      • See? Those acronyms aren’t so scary after all!

        And in this case, you did a great job in keeping the style but correcting just a few annoying-to-those-who-know-the-scene-well errors.

        • Thank you, Sharon. I just told Commenter Dan that I can now look at the painting without twitching.


Comments are closed for this article!