What Happens When A Painting Feels Dead

Ever had a painting that just… flatlined? It’s not that it’s bad. It’s just lifeless. The spark that was there at the start has vanished, leaving something that feels heavy, overworked, or simply “meh.”

In this episode of Totally Abstracted, I’m talking about what’s really going on when a painting feels dead, and how these moments can actually be turning points in your creative process - if you know how to work with them.

What You’ll Learn:

• Common reasons a painting loses its spark

• How to reintroduce movement, energy and surprise

• Simple, bold actions that can revive your work

• Why sometimes the best move is to let go

Whether you’re in the middle of a frustrating piece right now or just want to feel less afraid of “ruining” your work, this episode will help you see stalled paintings in a whole new light.

This Week’s Creative Challenge: Take a painting you’ve abandoned or feel is “dead” and choose one bold action - scrape, veil, flip, change the palette - without worrying about “ruining” it. See what happens when you focus on bringing it back to life for you, not for anyone else.

Listen to the episode