Paintings - when are they finished?

Jugs, some hibiscus and a fairy

Before I can decide if a painting is finished or not, especially a larger work, I need to have it up on the wall for a few weeks. Over time things that are not right start to irritate me and then I take the time to find a solution.

At the moment I am surrounded by the set of small work which was painted over Christmas.

Squirrel, nectarines (white and yellow fleshed) and blue duck.

A larger canvas with a few lines sketched on it is now sitting on my easel. It has been there for three weeks and beckons to me each time I pass by. I know what I want to paint - it is just starting that is the problem.

A patient duck at the bus stop

Duck waits at Woy Woy bus stop

This duck was waiting patiently at the bus stop in Woy Woy yesterday.  She seemed to know that although the buses may not always be on time but they do come eventually.

Twelve ducklings

A month in the northern hemisphere has thrown my seasons instinct out of whack. Yesterday I saw these ducklings and part of my head was saying to itself 'ducklings in autumn?' Of course, here it is spring, as this brood attests.

Ducks are my favorite bird, but they are notoriously bad mothers. This one and her twelve little ducklings were splashing delightedly in a puddle on the side of the road. Lets  hope at least some of them survive the traffic and the cats.