Sometimes one of my paintings reaches a point somewhere in the middle where I am certain that it is not going to turn out OK and I am tempted to abandon it. But I stick with it. I resist fiddling with it or overworking it but continue to make thoughtful incremental progress. Often at some point there is a breakthrough and the painting I almost abandoned undergoes a transformation that satisfies me. Some of my favorite paintings went through this process and I am so glad I did not give up on them.

I try to manage my expectations so as not to be overly critical of my work before it has sufficiently developed. The key to having a breakthrough in this situation is maintaining good technique from beginning to end. Don't get sloppy or impatient and make poor decisions . Be thoughtful and incremental. Often only a simple change like adding shadows or improving contrasting areas makes a huge difference.