I remember the first time I ever tried to draw a smile, when I was about five years old.

First I drew the crescent shaped open mouth.

So far, so good. Then I drew a bunch of up-and-down lines for teeth.

That looked like good progress. And then to finish.

What?

It happened to me again last week. I started with a location sketch that seemed like an interesting little composition.

Then I started the painting.

in progress

and almost finished before I realized that I had painted dappled shade all across the lower half of the scene, which was not the source idea. I had to wipe out a section.

still in progress

Here’s hoping I finish without losing the thread again.