Different does not necessarily mean better - when to stop working on an artwork.

It is a common dilemma amongst all creative people - when to stop working on a set piece. At what point is the end reached... no more to be done. I remember four significant lesson points from my days as an art student, one of which arose out of frustration as to whether to continue changing a painting or leave as was. My tutor at the time said 'different does not necessarily mean better'. So I stopped with a real sense of relief. Wise words I now pass on to my students.
This posting arose from the workings of a small mixed media/collage I did as part of a working demonstration for my students who were keen to see my studio practice. At the time it was a good focus on process and as with all successful lessons, the more that did not work well proved great teaching discussion points. 
Over the past few weeks I have looked at this artwork from time to time. It seemed to ask for resolution so that is what I have got round to do. The process started with paper weaving to produce a square 'cloth'. The colours determined the next steps. The background was a surface already painted. That part of the background that was behind the table never really worked so the most significant transition was in using a metallic acrylic over the top. The sheen matched the disc on the wall, and the red was still visible so tying in with the other colours. The other major difference was losing the stitch on the original vase. As a textured background behind the blue it worked much better than the fussy stitching. The fruit also did not read well, so replacing the objects with flatter discs helped keep the artwork uniform. A suggestion in this case works better than too much detail.
Now is the time to accept that different would not necessarily mean better and the artwork will now be elevated from the status of teaching tool to mounted artwork awaiting an outing to the exhibitions and fairs I have lined up later in the year.