The experience of painting has a flow to it. There is the hopeful beginning, with your vision for the painting inspiring your work. There is the middle, when you can be lost in the awkward adolescence of the painting or excited to watch a graceful building towards your vision. Then there is the final stage - finishing the painting. This is where judgment comes in. Have you achieved your vision? Is the painting working? Are there problems? How can it be improved or fixed?

The final stage is when turning the painting upside down can be a powerful tool. One of the secrets to evaluating your painting is to see it with fresh eyes. Turning the painting upside down interferes with your "knowing" your work. Instead of seeing what you expect to see - the subject matter of your image - you are forced to see shapes. Are your shapes interesting and varied? Does any shape "pop" from where it should be, or recede when it should come forward? Does the pattern of values lead your eye through the composition? Does the painting have impact? The answers to these questions are your guide to your final steps. Maybe color needs to be lifted, or there needs to be a glaze to increase or decrease contrast or to shift the color. Glazing with a cool color will push things back and glazing with a warm color will pull things forward. Softening edges will push things back or increase the sense of roundness. These final touches make the difference between a good painting and a great one, so turning your painting upside down is a valuable tool.