Keeping the edges unfinished

I have started leaving the outer few centimetres of each canvas loose: the drawing visible, the ground showing through, the brushmarks quick and unresolved. For a long time I finished every painting right to the edge, and the paintings felt sealed, like a window with the frame painted shut.

An unfinished edge reminds me, and I hope the viewer, that a painting is a made thing. It was built one mark at a time by someone standing in front of it. The centre can be as considered as I like, but the edges keep a little of the speed of the first day.

Knowing when to stop

The hard part is stopping. My rule now is that once the centre is working, I put the painting face to the wall for a week. When I turn it back round I can usually tell straight away whether the edges are doing their job or simply look neglected.

Most of the time I leave them alone. Sometimes I add one or two marks. Very occasionally I paint them out completely, and that is a sign the painting wanted to be something else all along.