Of course, because we were working together so much, we had a feel for what each student wanted to produce, and could comfortably provide reassurance or advice. Working alone, it’s really, really difficult to get that kind of feedback.

I worry that you may be tossing or scrubbing some nice work because it is not what you are trying to create. I know that ‘happy accidents’ that emerge when you are trying for something else are not exactly the rewarding experience that you seek to produce through skill. They can, however, provide you with nice looking objects, and ideas for new techniques and styles.

I work on paper, and if I feel that a picture has failed, the paper can’t really be re-used as a clean surface, so my ‘dud’ drawings go into a review file. I have the luxury of being able to leave them for months before looking at them again, and I am often surprised at what I find in there. Sometimes I crop them and just frame the one exquisite flower. Soemtimes I notice that the watercolours have combined in a way that would be perfect on another subject I’ve been contemplating. Sometimes I wonder ‘Why the heck did I abandon this?’ as I can see nothing wrong with the picture at all.

Getting too close to your work emotionally and psychologically can play tricks on your mind, for sure. Ideally, you’d be able to set paintings aside and not worry about them – or the potential waste of materials – until you could look at them again with fresh perspective.

Perhaps an option for times when you are struggling physically or wrestling with creative overload, multiple small (even very small) works on the go at once might be. Not all of the pictures have to be great, you can set them aside for review. It’s relatively cheap, and might be an interesting way to experiment, if you record how you feel about a painting when you do it (Did it achieve your objective? Did it ‘work’? Is it an attractive picture?) then rate it again after a few weeks/months. Plus, really nice small works might translate readily into full-scale paintings.

BTW – I love the line and light contrast in the painting on the latest exhibition invite.