Sometimes It Just Doesn't Gel

Here's a first for me.  I am posting a false start.  I think some people don't realize that every artist occasionally has ideas that don't go anywhere and that our studios are filled with unfinished work and discarded pieces that didn't work out.

I got the idea of finishing out my food series with a little dessert so I baked some chocolate chip cookies and poured a glass of milk.  I took a bunch of photos with different backgrounds and went to work.  To conserve funds, I have been using old frames so I knew this piece had to be large - in this case 10" x 14"  So I was interested in a vertical piece.

I wanted to keep with the concept of a minimal, single colored background with lots of attention to creating vivid colors in shadows and textures.  As I worked away, the "magic" just didn't happen for me.  I was excited about the details on the little white plate and the reflections in the clear glass but the composition had far too much negative space.  I nearly used up a stick of cobalt blue trying to create some interest in the empty background.  I don't think this idea challenges me and I don't like having so much area with nothing really going on.

So I walked away, ate the cookies and drank the milk.