Day 6
When Things Go Wrong
Not every painting day is a good one. Today was... not it.
I started by working back into a landscape I’ve been building up over the past few days — a painting of a garden I absolutely love. The underpainting was done late at night back in my guest house, and at the time I felt quite good about it. But the moment I brought it into the studio and saw it in proper daylight, I realised it was far too dark. I’ve spent the morning fighting to bring the light back — layer by layer, push and pull — and honestly, I’m not sure I’m going to win the battle.
It’s meant to be a painting of the garden at sunrise — soft light, pale warmth — but now it feels more like late dusk. Some people might actually prefer it that way, and maybe someone will fall in love with it just as it is, but I can’t help feeling disappointed. I wanted something a little lighter. A little brighter.
By lunchtime I decided to cut my losses for the day and try something different — just a short painting exercise to clear my head. I gave myself two hours, set a timer, and laid down some ground rules: absolutely no extension of the time limit, try a more impressionist palette, keep the brushwork loose, don’t overthink or overwork. Sounds straightforward, right?
It wasn’t.
I wiped the canvas down six times. Six. I just couldn’t find the groove. My brush felt like a stranger. Colours weren’t sitting right. Everything I tried looked wrong. And just yesterday I was writing about “getting in the zone.” Today? I was nowhere near it.
Eventually — after much muttering, a few deep sighs, and one more wipe-off — I did finish the exercise. And oddly enough, I’m happy with the final result. You can see it in my Instagram reel (though the time lapse glosses over the chaos — eagle eyes might just catch the jump cuts where a canvas magically resets itself!).
It’s frustrating, of course. These days are tough. But they’re also part of it — the unglamorous, awkward, essential part of being an artist. You learn more from the mess than you do from the easy wins. These little two-hour exercises, with all their false starts and scraped-back layers, are where growth happens. You get pushed and pulled in all directions — and that’s how you stretch.
So no, not every painting day is a good one. But they’re all valuable. Even the ones that leave you with more questions than answers.
With love from Orquevaux
Robyn xx
