Finding Value in an Encore Painting

From the Pier
Acrylic on Stretched Canvas
36 x 24 in/91 x 61 cm
Copyright Byrne Smith 2008

By encore painting, I mean one that you painted sometime in the distant past. I recently shuffled through a rather crowded upstairs closet and came across a stash of several paintings I did in the late 2000s.

Seems like ancient painting history now, but I was surprised at how well they stood the test of time, at least my  test of time.

This painting is a view of Santa Barbara painted after a trip to that beautiful region of California. It was painted from a reference photo I took from their city pier looking up at the city and surrounding mountains. The photo was quite remarkable, if I do say so, being taken at the height of the "golden" hour one evening in September of 2008.

Reviewing your past paintings is a good exercise. It marks a time in your painting development. It lets you see how much you have hopefully improved over time. It's a win-win in that maybe you can find an old favorite to sell or hang and get your closet cleaned out at the same time.

I hope you find one of your own encore paintings to enjoy.