"Overgrowth" (16x16 oil on panel) painting process

Greetings,
It's been a little while. Today's post is about my newest painting.

detail

Here is setup:

To explain the messy/amorphous first stage below: I had a technical idea here that I wanted to explore (as is often the case, my thematic idea takes the back seat to--or is intertwined with--a technical idea). This painting was preceded by a rough patch (it happens) during which several ideas died on the easel and much artistic despair/gnashing of teeth did occur. As always, it eventually gave way to a new inspiration.

I've been contemplating how a sharply drawn profile can in some ways become my crutch in painting. After all, if the interior of an object was sufficiently described with accurate texture, reflection, value, color, highlight, shadow, etc., wouldn't the object be just as real, even without a crisply defined profile? How far down the road could I take this idea? I love paintings that are mostly mystery, with a minority of detail at the focus/foci. So I decided to start with a "default soft" approach. All profiles cloudy/ghostly at first, with definition/detail only in (or mostly in) the interiors. First stage:

Next stage: I begin defining from the inside out, trying to maintain soft profiles.

Next stage. It is taking significant restraint to not sharpen more profile edges:

Next. My primary focus in this composition is the central pitcher and adjacent saw blades. Trying to isolate darkest darks, sharpest details, and saturated color to these areas.

Next stage. Development of flanking objects. The rear pitcher (which is supporting the leaning blade) is made as ghostly and "out of focus" as possible. This was surprisingly difficult.

Starting to sharpen up saw blade profile, but still trying to restrict sharpness to the foreground portion, leaving us much of the blade mysterious as I can manage. And I finally begin with the imaginary foliage which will be mingling, intertwining, overtaking:

More blade development. I'm trying to figure out how little detail I can get away with to give definition but preserve mystery.

More leaves:

And more:

And more! At this point below, I start thinking I'm pretty much done (see the signature?). However, after starting my next painting (which I'll be sharing later), I realize that there is an extremely distracting area in this painting. See in the bottom left quadrant? That long stem and leaf shadow? Really distracting and awkward.

So I cover it up with another leaf. Much better.

And the finished painting "Overgrowth" (16x16 oil on panel):

Closeups:

My "default-soft-profiles" approach to beginning this painting was very challenging. Lots for me to think about. I'll be revisiting this approach soon.

Thanks for reading! -David

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