Self Portrait Caught in the Act of Turning Fifty

Self Portrait Caught in the Act of Turning Fifty
Oil on gessoed board

sold

I find it difficult to concentrate on painting at this time of year. As well as the usual "silly season" stuff, yesterday I turned fifty. It seems such a serious number and I felt I should mark the occasion somehow, so I began this little self portrait. My original intention was just to do my face, but it quickly turned into a little study of myself in the act of painting, which I thought was aptly significant and a positive statement for me to make. I was only about twenty minutes into it when some friends made a surprise visit - with champagne... To cut a long story short, I didn't get back to the painting! I considered going on with it today, but then I decided it was better to leave it as it is in it's raw and unfinished state. Maybe that's more true to Life. Do any of us finish all that we set out to do before our allotted time is up?