"Outside" the next visit

I'm already at the point where I'm pushing and pulling with this piece. It seems hard for me to imagine that it's close to finished, but when I start being careful, it's a sign.

Last night I went to the studio and worked until after I was supposed to be gone. A fellow artist stopped in rather late—I thought I was alone in the building—and took up a badly-upholstered seat to talk to be about life for a bit. I suppose it was another good distraction. She said she enjoyed watching me work. Yes, it's fun watching other artists make their stuff. It seems a bit like magic, even to those of us who like to make stuff.

I have a series of images here of how the piece progressed through the night. I put some pieces onto the canvas, hesitated, and ripped them off. I put something else in their place. Then I decided it was a mistake to have removed them, so I put some back. I put in an image that I like—a girl walking down a path, her back to us. It seemed to follow some of my edges. It was there, but slowly faded away. The skirt took a hit.

I don't know where this is going, and I sure as hell don't know what I'm doing. Still, I'm right here... doing it.

My friend Paul says I put holes in everything. I don't have one in this yet. I wonder if one will show up. I won't force it.

This last image is just a detail shot.