I've got six pieces in a series about my grandmother's house, mostly done, and I was ready to call it closed. But the one with the torn wallpaper has been sitting on my table for two weeks now and I keep going back to it.

Technically it's fine. The composition works, the colors sit right, someone who doesn't know any better would say it's finished. But every time I look at it I feel nothing. It's like the piece is technically alive and emotionally dead at the same time.

I think the problem is I've been treating it like a copy of a memory instead of a reaction to one. The other five pieces came out weird and sideways because I made them fast and angry. This one I made careful, and careful killed it.

I've been trying to figure out what to tear out. There's a strip of actual floral wallpaper from the pantry that I glued down and it's too precious right now. I sanded it a little this morning and that helped, but I think I need to do something more violent to it. Rip it, soak it, let the glue warp it.

Anyone else ever over-edit a piece until the life leaked out of it?