12:59 PM: thanks in advance for putting up with these repeated blogs about changes to the now epic gaze 35. as always, i'm convinced this is the best so far in the series.the area of black to the upper left of her head was bothering me. in such a delicately balanced composition, a seemingly minor thing can create dissonance. it's always a temptation, when i do go back into a painting in this series, to become radical and change everything.not this time. so far at least.
if you study the two images below; yesterdays version on the left, today's on the right, i think you'll agree with me that what i did this morning has made a big difference. i "pushed back" that dark area on the upper left. as a result, and see if you agree, your eye is no longer drawn to that area and instead is free to peruse the entire surface, as well as more deeply appreciating the "ghost image" to the right and the unforeseen suggestive forms created by the biomorphic shapes of the collaged paper. the only other intervention i made was to slightly heighten the whiteness of the earring and a few pearls on her necklace.
