day four, and the mystical rite

As a painting progresses, there is a mystical rite that I perform over the painting.  These things are usually only whispered over a bubbling cauldron, in a dark castle in a black forest in northern Italy, amongst those initiated by blood oath.  I will now permit the reader to partake of this knowledge.

Sometimes, on the fourth or fifth day of a painting, I work on the painting, with the model, until the sun sets.  I continue to paint until the sun dips, the gloaming passes, and the night falls.  Artistic shamanism aside, the reason is very simple- it allows me to see the whole picture, and not be distracted with any superfluous details.  And so, color and line are subordinated, and I am only left with the vague masses of light and dark on the canvas.  It is during this time that I typically make fundamental changes to my work, as I am best able to see the whole picture.  However, on this day, day four, I did not make fundamental changes in the fading light.  I only softened the light flowing over the form of the figure, in a delicate sfumato.  I’m happy with the overall balance of light and dark on the canvas.