Imperfect Paintings

If a painting is not quite right, I know. It's a feeling, like when the energy in a room is slightly off, or when someone is upset with you but hasn't said anything. 

When this happens, I instantly know that the painting won't turn out the way I want. For me, a painting I’m truly happy with has to flow; the whole process needs to feel natural, from the very first stroke. I'm happy to wrestle with a canvas, to tweak, scrape a little, adjust, but if I'm spending all day scraping, I know—I need to walk away. Clear my head. Let the colours breathe. And sometimes, yes, scrape everything off or scrap the painting completely.

People often tell me I’m too harsh. “Just let it dry and paint over it,” they say. But I’m stubborn. And I want every painting I share, every piece I sell, to feel like it’s carrying good, true energy. (Perfectionist? Maybe just a smidge…)

But you know when you can feel that someone is upset with you, and you're worrying about it, and everything feels a little off, but then they come and tell you what's happening in their life, and it has nothing to do with you. And you realised that you read the energy through your own fears and worries? I've recently realised that sometimes even my paintings are like that.

Because, here’s the twist—whenever I post a scraped painting, someone messages me to say they love it. That it speaks to them. That there’s beauty in the layers I almost tossed. It’s been a lovely reminder that art speaks to people in different ways. That beauty is so wildly personal. That maybe even my scrapes have their place in the world.

In fact, one of my “discarded” elephants now lives in someone’s living room, pride of place, loved to bits. And I had a canvas which I had completely scraped back, and then I let children express themselves over my destroyed art with oil pastels, and it's completely joyful! 

So maybe Thursday Scrape isn’t about failure at all. Maybe it’s about letting go. Trusting the process. And recognising that sometimes, the messy middle is the best part. 

As always, if something from my gallery or stories catches your eye (even a scrape!)—do reach out. I love hearing what you see in these pieces.

With love, 

Katherine