I think I am finished with the grizzly bear who is licking his paw. I simply let the painting tell me when it is finished rather than nitpicking, i.e., overworking a painting by too much “this and that”. When I reach a happy bargaining place with myself, I stand back and look at the painting, hopefully objectively, scanning it for balance - noting whether something stands out that is more of an eye sore or maybe a little off.
I always have to remember that with an artist’s license, I am free to make it into whatever I want and show the subject as best I can. It is always a challenge to consistently stay open minded to making changes to my work. By that I mean, if I am working from a photo, such as with this bear, I always have to consider whether the painting works - remembering that the painting is not supposed to be a photograph.
For example: Do I want the background of stone, rock, etc. or leave it open. The jury is still out on that for the final painting. Also, because the bear has a pensive look in his eye, not paying attention to his being looked at, I had to capture his eye that way.