Complete

Complete

The photographer and his wife say, "You need to sign your paintings."

I break eye contact, look down at my pale purple shoes, and say, "I know. I’m kinda afraid to."

The photographer asks, "Why?"

"Because the painting is done. It’s just the way I want it. And I don’t want to screw it up."

He persists. "You can practice. Take a painting that you don’t want to keep and just practice. You’ll get it."

So I did. I experimented with various sizes of brushes, different consistency of paint, and a variety of versions of my name.

I put the finishing touches on my Untitled: A Work in Progress painting, signed it and sprayed it with varnish. I now title it Complete. I now realize the significance of the signature. It is validating, and I feel complete.