Painting in the studio is usually a solitary endeavor. One can get so involved and so focused on the work, that the eye becomes "immune" to certain errors that may creep in to the painting. It's hard to self-critique when you can't see the forest for the trees! Enter the painter's best friend--the mirror.
I don't understand all of the physics of perception, or the neurological aspects of vision, but I do know this: when you view your painting in a mirror, you suddenly get a fresh perspective on it. It is as if you see the painting with new eyes. I call it my "magic mistake catcher". Certain errors just jump right out, and you wonder how you got so far along without noticing that the chair was crooked, or that the building was leaning to the left, the shadow was way too dark.
I keep a large mirror on my studio wall. It is positioned so that I can glance quickly at the painting in the mirror every time I step back from it. That helps prevent me from getting too far off track. But when I take the painting off the easel and hold it directly in front of the mirror, I still catch errors.
Here is a short video of Maggie Siner painting. I remember that when I first saw it I was struck by how frequently she looked in the mirror. Now I am a believer!
The mirror is useful in plein air painting as well as in the studio. Peggi Kroll Roberts taught me how to take a small hand mirror out into the field, and use it to look back over my shoulder at my painting. Here is Peggi checking her own work using a mirror:
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| Peggi Kroll Roberts |
Peggi even sells a small kit that has a mirror on a lanyard for this purpose. Very clever! Don't leave home without one...
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