How Do You Know When a Work of Art is Complete?

It happens in most studio practices more times than not. Every conversation between artist and mentor, gallerist and collector ask this question. It’s a question that hovers silently over the table or sometimes echoes in the middle of the night when you're staring at a work: "How do I know when it’s finished? How do I know when to stop?” That wise old saying "sleep on it” can often be the perfect solution. Studying the work when you are fresher can be one of the best solutions. Yet, at the heart of the matter, I have found that “the knowing” comes from the years of “going too far,” because you think the work or exhibition will be better or stronger “if I do more.” That can be the case at times. However, there’s nothing better than going too far too many times to remind us.

Following one’s instincts always is an added skill to have. Then there’s the shared knowing, internal knowledge, that “the work is complete.” Ultimately, under certain circumstances, a trusted creative colleague with similar skills and experience can be that one collaborator who can say “yes or no” or a “here is what I think.” It is a common practice among creatives to have a trusted, talented artist take a fresh look. In the salons and studios of Paris, and other cities decades ago, it was quite common for creatives of all types to share opinions I can only imagine what it might have been like to watch Picasso and Braque side by side when they were developing Cubism!

For over my five decades as a working artist, nearly three as co-founder and creative director of Patina Gallery, and now, through Serious Play, I hear it from clients across disciplines and backgrounds:  Painters. Jewelers. Sculptors. Writers. Gallerists preparing their next show or exhibition. Directors trying to make programming sing and be heard, not unlike those salon days. That one outside objective review can make a work or project go from good to great. Yet oftentimes, when we are so close to our creative works, we can lose our objectivity.



Completion can be Relative and Also Not So

Completion is not perfection. The quest for perfection is often elusive. The real signal of completion is that final moment when the creative can say with ease that “I wouldn't move or change one thing.” The piece no longer tugs at your sleeve—it offers us a quiet “yes.”

When I work with artists through Serious Play, one of the most liberating things we do is learn how to recognize that shift. We move from making to listening. In my own case, when working on a new series of sculpture and pushing my own limits well beyond my creative and technical comfort zone, I have found the joy of saying “why not” go there or “don’t” go there. And here is where the serious play unfolds and where time seems to slow down. All there is left is you and your painting, the painting that the world has yet to see. I liken this to “giving birth” and a beautiful new child is ushered into the world of art to be enjoyed and admired.


Less is still harder. Ivan Barnett mobile, in the collection of the artist, 2015. Photo by Ivan Barnett.


The Danger of "Almost Done, Never Done"

Many artists and gallerists exist in a state I call "almost done, never done." They keep sanding, refining, and adjusting. Not because the work requires it, but because the thought of stopping feels almost unbearable. Maybe it still doesn't feel ready to be seen. Maybe they don't yet trust the voice of the piece. Or maybe they're waiting for someone else to declare it finished.

The problem with "almost done, never done" is that it slowly dulls your creative instincts. It robs you of the moment when the work could begin its life in the world. Because yes, art has a life of its own—like a young eagle preparing to fly for the first time. There’s no turning back.

I have spent my entire career living in both the studio world and the gallery world. I am truly able to say with confidence that together you and I can help finesse and nuance being in that stuck gray zone. It is only the geniuses who need no outside guidance, for they are the rarest of the rare. The rest of us strive to be very good at what we do, and if we make the right moves we can go from good to great. It is in the great that “we are rewarded both economically and creatively.” Letting that moment seep into our consciousness is critical for the next time and the time after that.


Trust the Breath of the Work and the Path It’s Taking

When I was curating some of our most celebrated exhibitions at Patina—Porsche Portraits, Signs of Life, Abstraction, or Season of Blue—I often worked with artists who were still editing up to the last minute. And while some refinement is natural, I learned to ask one simple question: "Is the work still asking for more—and are you ready to share it with the world?”

Art tells you when it's ready. It may whisper. It may sigh. But if you’re present enough and confident enough to it may say “yes, it’s time.” Producing opera collaborations with the famed Santa Fe Opera was always the hardest and most complex.


Completion Is a Practice

“Jacket on, Jacket off.” Jackie Chan, “The Karate Kid.”

In any creative venture, knowing when something is neither science or absolute is a must. It’s a practice. And it’s one I return to myself—again and again—in my studio, my photography, and the meetings I lead at Serious Play.

If you're unsure whether the work is done, ask yourself:

• Am I adding or subtracting out of clarity, fear, or something else?
• Does this moment feel charged, or forced?
• Would I say something different and need to “go back” to the studio?

Completion is not about exhaustion. It’s about presence. It's when you stop working on the piece and start being with it. And in that stillness, you recognize that it no longer needs you to shape it—it needs you to release it.

I often ask my clients to read the book by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi called Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. The book talks about the amazing moment or moments when we are one with our art or even one with your gallery. Once you experience this, you will rejoice when it comes around again. With the proper experience, you can even develop your own tools to return to that magical place.


Is your art finished? Ivan Barnett mobile, in the collection of the artist, 2013. Photo by Ivan Barnett.


The Work Is Never Just Yours

Lastly, here's the truth. The work is never truly complete until it meets the world.

Your sculpture doesn’t breathe fully until someone decides to add it to their collection. Your poem isn't alive until it's heard. Your exhibition doesn't sing until someone stands before it, open to wonder. There’s a famous story about Michelangelo and the Sistine chapel ceiling, in 1508, where the Vatican had commissioned the great artist to paint the Book of Genesis creation story in the chapel. One day, Pope Julius II came to Michelangelo and asked when he would be finished—he was already some years late. The artist said, “I will be finished when I am finished.”

We are not meant to hold the entire process alone. And we are not meant to hoard the moment of completion. Releasing the work allows it to do what it was made to do: connect, reflect, provoke, and nourish.

So, how do you know when it’s done? When the work stops asking. When you feel the breath shift. When you can finally—gently, honestly—say: "This is whole."


© Ivan Barnett 2025, All rights reserved.

 

About the author

Ivan Barnett
As co-founder and creative director of Patina Gallery, Ivan played a pivotal role in elevating artists’ careers and shaping the gallery’s international reputation. His expertise in gallery management, marketing, and exhibition planning allows him to support creatives in crafting sustainable careers. Through one-on-one coaching and curatorial support, he encourages artists to refine their narratives, embrace risk, and find deeper creative meaning.
Raised in a family of artists, Ivan was influenced by his father, Isa Barnett, a celebrated painter. After studying at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, he pursued a career in painting, metalwork, sculpture, and mixed media. In 2023, he launched Serious Play, integrating mentorship with innovative business strategies to help artists refine their messaging and expand their careers.
Unlike most consultancies, Ivan’s empathetic and intuitive approach fosters creative dot connecting, collaboration and profound storytelling, proving that art is not just something we create—it’s something we are. Learning the art of playing seriously can transform and propel our lives toward new heights.

Serious Play, based in Santa Fe, NM, is a creative consultancy founded by Ivan Barnett, an artist, curator, and mentor with over five decades of experience in the art world. Ivan helps artists, galleries, and arts organizations navigate the complexities of creative careers by blending artistic exploration with strategic business acumen.
Serious Play’s purpose is to mentor artists and art organizations to tell more of their untold stories.

creativemornings.com/individuals/ivanbarnett
seriousplaysf@gmail.com