Getting Attached to Your Paintings
This is a very interesting topic. I think we can approach this question with multiple answers. You should be emotionally attached to the reference in the sense of what you see and are interested in painting. If there is no emotional attachment, then often times the painting will look more like an illustration (meaning more like a description of the scene or person). Now, if you are doing commission, it gets a little tougher because a client comes to you with their idea of what they want you to paint. But, if we are talking about landscape painting, there should definitely be some sort of emotional attachment there.
“ You should be emotionally attached to the reference in the sense of what you see and are interested in painting.”
As far as emotional attachment to the painting itself after it is finished, the actual creation, that is where there are multiple perspectives. If you are a professional artist and painting is your livelihood, you have to let go of that emotional attachment because that’s how you make your living. It does not mean you can’t be attached to a painting, but you will need to be able to let it go. If you do not need to sell it, however, there could be a bigger emotional attachment and you can hold onto those special paintings.
The answer to this can be complicated depending on your artistic situation. I believe, up front, the initial attachment to the scene should be there. It will also mean you are going to love the act of painting the specific scene, and that love will come through in the finished painting. Often, I can look at a painting and tell if an artist painted it because they fell in love with the scene and they interpreted it, or if they did it just to sell the painting because of a popular subject matter. I believe you need a slight emotional attachment even if you are focused on selling your work. People will find a genuine painting much more appealing.
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