Behind women's eyes IV final - Is an art of simplicity installing itself despite myself?

Following the advice from many (including the muse), I finished this painting with very few palette knife strokes to preserve the effects of the initial creative impulse...

...by wanting to use strategic darks as opposed to a fully dark background as foundation for this painting... I inadvertently ended up approaching my watercolor sketching style which favours the use of the Japanese pen brush before the application of colors. Moreover, the use of a more flexible palette knife led me to produce marks very similar to the ones produced by a Chinese brush loaded with black ink. The old adage "rien ne se perd, rien ne se crée" is coming to mind in a bold fashion. In a way, this is the closest I've come so far to a "signature" painting!

As usual, this kind of artistic development forces me to take stock...

This series so far has sent me to all sorts of creative paths (encaustic effects, metallic paint, light over dark, stylized rendering). A very natural and simple way to paint (for me) is slowly taking place after 3 years of heavy duty acrylic painting. I think, I need to embrace it and vanquish the angst associated with leaving certain ways behind! A saving grace, I will remain true to my pivotal painting principles...

Note to self: "I'm as close as I can be to retaining the results from an initial creative impulse. The challenge will be to improve the craftsmanship while remaining true to this principle."

Subnotes to self:"Abiding to broad painting principles is more important than going after a certain look... I want my art to be liberating! Also, it's becoming apparent that the achievement of high contrast right from the outset is key to the retention of the first creative impulse with colors. For now, I still need the foundation of a good underpainting to limit the amount of pussyfooting around when applying colors."