If you hate it, rip it to pieces!

(Above:  Nike's Advice Triptych.  Individually from left to right:  Nike's Advice XLII, XLIII, and XLIV.  Each panel 16" x 9 1/4", paint and pastels on canvas with free-motion stitching that has been mounted to gold painted stretcher bars with copper roofing nails.  Artist-grade, UV filtering epoxy covers the surface.  Each one is $240 or the triptych for $575.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

This is the very last of the canvas that was painted during a public art performance piece called Nike's Advice.  I found the last, large section a week or so ago.  I ripped it into four pieces.  One section became Capital on Gold.  Two other pieces became Rococo I and II.  On the very last piece, I thought I'd paint another capital, up close, detailed ... but ...

 (Above:  The painted canvas before ripping it apart.)

... I hated the results ... just couldn't stand the idea of stitching it but also feeling guilty that the last piece was a total disaster.  To me, it looked like a waste of time and materials.  Still, I couldn't bring myself to simply throw it away.  What's an artist to do? 

(Above, top to bottom and left to right:  Nike's Advice XXXIX, XXXVIII, XL, and XLI.  Each one is 8" x 8" and $150.  Discounts for multiples.)

With nothing to lose, I ripped it apart.  My idea was to end up with pieces that would be 16" x 10" like many other pieces made last month, but that didn't work out either.  No matter how I tried to create pleasing compositions from the whole, the colors weren't arranged nicely because the blues were all "in the middle".  I continued to tear and place smaller pieces on top of larger ones until I had seven works that looked good.  

(Above:  The new work hanging under one of the first Nike's Advice pieces over which I poured epoxy.  This is the wall behind my mat cutter.)

Stitching these pieces was fun and fast.  Soon, I had them nailed to stretcher bars with gold-painted sides.  Epoxy was poured over all of them.  They are now hanging behind my mat cutter.  Below are a few detail shots!  This is now the end of Nike's Advice.  I guess I heeded the wise words:  Just Do It!

 (Above:  Detail of the triptych.)

 (Above:  Detail of Nike's Advice XLI.)

(Above:  Detail of Nike's Advice XL.)