The art of stopping

With a month left before submitting my paintings for the last exhibition as an art student, I’m stuck again. I’ve worked on a couple of large and small paintings each so far, but none of them has been completed. Why? Because I’m not very good at judging when to stop.

The nature of my work being abstract and consists of many layers and repetitive lines, marks and shapes what emulate the elapse of time, it can go and on. Although I have something I want to express when I start painting on a fresh canvas, it can sometimes be lost while I engage in the act of painting that is stimulating and satisfying in itself. However, with the submission looming, I’m conscious they must be completed, meeting all the objectives if possible.

When I’m unsure about the painting I’m working on, I tend to just keep painting because, as I said, I’m not good at stopping…. or giving up. However, a couple of days ago, I hit the point when even I recognised the need for stopping and ‘resetting my mind’. I left the 4 paintings as they were for now, allowed myself not to rush in to the next work and started reading about Agnes Martin. I’m not searching for a direct answer to my question - but reading about other artists’ mindset and beliefs stimulate part of my barin and that somehow triggers a lot of ambiguous thoughts which sometimes bring about a lightbulb moment.

Apparently Martin said that the intellect was the enemy of making art, but at least until I submit my exhibition work, I’ll need to engage all functional part of my brain.