Put the brush down and step away from the painting!

See the streaks in the rounded part of the white mass?

I'm not perfectionistic in most matters. My house is not spotless; I floss most nights, but not all; and I keep my hair short so that it's allowed to be messy. However, with my art there are times when I get a little too tied up in the details. I'm sure you've all been there- one bit of your painting just won't come out right and the harder you try the more frustrated you feel and the worse it gets. That's when it's time to put it down. I had one of those moments yesterday with this spot here:
It had been an infuriating morning with computer problems and all sorts of other hang-ups so my attitude when I came to the easel was rushed and angry. Not the best mindset for art to flow.
I don't know about you, but I feel like when I look one of my own finished paintings I can tell whether or not it has been forced. So, I put it down... way down (or up, rather)... like on a shelf to dry for a good long while. I'll come back to it in a week or so, but in the meantime I did this:

prepared a new piece of metal for a companion piece to the one above. By the way, I can't wait to show you the finished painting above. I really do love it. It's a very calm piece, which is why working on it in a tense state of mind just won't do. Stay tuned! I'll keep you posted on both these pieces as they come along.