Good composition. A simple idea yet not so simple to create a strong and effective one!

Through my years developing as an artist, creating a good composition was definitely one of the things that I struggled with most. Even though I knew the theory and elements around composition, I still found it difficult to apply them to my own work. With focus and a lot of effort along the way, I seem now to create compositions that generally work. And I’m always delighted when the composition is actually a strong one.

I know this is an ongoing struggle for many artists at all stages. And so I had the thought: why not ask some artists whose compositions I admire to share their advice with you.  And that’s just what I did! I asked:

What’s your secret for creating a good composition?

As might be expected many of their responses overlap. You’ll see recurring themes. Yet each artist expresses their ideas in a different way and so you may gain more from reading one than another. In any case, repetition affirms how universal many of these making-a-good-composition principles are! The voice is their own with very little editing from me. As you will see, some wrote a lot while others were more succinct. It was totally up to the artist as to what to say. Everything they’ve written is valuable and I thank them HUGELY for their participation.

(To see more of each artist’s work, click on their name to be taken to their website.)

And soooooo, in random order, a gift for 2020!! Here are the secrets for creating a good composition as shared by 20 artists. 

WARNING! This is going to be a LONG blog!

1. Desmond O’Hagan

Balance. When I develop a painting’s composition, I strive for a visual balance. This is achieved through constantly studying works of art, critiquing, and developing an eye for what looks right. I follow very few rules in composition which allows me to experiment in developing what feels correct. In Light Rain, Downtown Denver, I balanced the cars on the left with the steam on the right. If you eliminate either the painting would seem unbalanced.

2. Debora Stewart

I think that many of the same aspects apply to abstract as they do to more realistic works. Here are some of the things I think about when creating an abstract. It doesn’t matter whether it is a non-objective painting or an abstract floral. They are the same considerations.  

Placement of shapes: Where on the space will I place the main shapes? I usually place off-center and balance with smaller shapes in another part of the painting.  

Value. I also think about contrast. I find that an abstract with clear contrast has more impact. Where do I place the darkest part of the composition? It may be with the largest shape.  

Balance of active and quiet. I strive to use brush strokes, mark-making, and color to give a variety and balance of active to quiet areas. I don’t want the entire surface to have the same mark-making. I may put more active mark-making in the area of focus. I may also put more pure colors in the area of focus. The quiet areas bring rest to the composition and may also contain more neutral colors.  

Color palette. I put as much emphasis on neutrals as I do intense colors. This is also balancing the active with quiet areas. I also try to limit the colors I use and choose a range of values from light to dark.  I focus on complementary color schemes.

Space. I look for areas of open space in contrast to areas where there is more active mark-making or brush strokes.  

Harmony and balance. Is the painting balanced and harmonious in color? Is one area overworked compared to another? Did I use and repeat the color scheme throughout the painting? Balance comes from working the entire painting and not one area at a time.  

Some of my initial ideas come from preliminary sketches in a sketchbook or on newsprint. I always generate ideas before starting an abstract. I think about value, placement of shapes, line, color, space before I even begin a piece.  

3. Gigi Horr Liverant

Balance, rhythm, and a focal point are essential to a successful composition. Visualize your painting horizontal and balanced atop a fulcrum. Does the weight of the elements in the painting balance on the fulcrum? If not, add, reduce, delete or relocate the “weight” of your visual elements until the composition balances. The “weight” of pictorial elements is determined by the density of strong contrast or rich color. The viewer’s eye will be drawn to your focal point by maximizing the value contrast in the desired area. 

There should also be a rhythm or pattern to your visual elements as they move around the picture plane.  The repeat of familiar musical notes in a score is a good example of patterning. The pattern of repeated shapes, lines, or colors in a painting act like the familiar phrases in music and serve to hold the design together. The contrast and shapes visually direct the viewer through the painting, the goal being to keep the viewer engaged within the confines of the painting.  

Keep in mind, that all of these “rules” are meant to be broken when the artwork demands!

4. Alan Flattmann

First let me say that I don’t have any secrets for creating a good composition. My guidelines are based on time-honored principles of combining all elements of a work—line, size, color, shape, position and technique—into a harmonious whole.

I’ll use my pastel painting Heavenly Cloudburst to discuss three of these principles.

Balance is one of the most important ways we can create order in a composition. A composition without good balance seems unstable and uncomfortable. Balance can be achieved through symmetry where elements of a composition are equal or very similar around a central point or axis. Balance can also be achieved through asymmetry by shifting masses and weights around in such a way that balance is achieved without being perfectly equal on both sides of a composition. 

The simplest example of asymmetrical balance I can give is to imagine a child and an adult on a seesaw. If the child and adult are seated at opposite ends of the seesaw, the seesaw will obviously be unbalanced with the heavier adult causing their end of the seesaw to go down and the child’s end of the seesaw to go up.  However, if the adult moved forward on the seesaw towards the center axis, the seesaw will eventually level out and be balanced.  

My painting, Heavenly Cloudburst, is an example of asymmetrical balance. The large towering cathedral positioned on the left edge of the center axis line is counterbalanced by the smaller grouping of figures and objects on the right side in a way similar to the example described above.

Rhythm is another important principle of good composition. It is achieved by repetition of lines and shapes creating a sense of movement. Rhythm is essential to produce a harmonious whole and dynamic composition. The movement can be gently flowing as you would see in a Corot or Constable landscape painting or swirling like you would see in one by Turner. It can also straight-edged or angular as you would see in a Cezanne or variations of all these. It is usually best if one type of movement dominates. 

In Heavenly Cloudburst, the vertical hard-edged lines of the buildings dominate. The vertical lines of the buildings are repeated in the rain showers and reflections creating a vertical flow throughout the composition.  

Center of Interest.  I believe a painting works best when there is a clear center of interest or focal point by creating a strong sense of order in a composition. The cathedral is clearly the center of interest in Heavenly Cloudburst. It’s a large mass with strong contrast and it’s located near the center of the painting. The small figures and tuba were added to create a counterpoint to the cathedral for balance and to avoid having a bull’s eye emphasis.

As a general practice, my advice to students is to always think of the whole composition first before diving into details. For whatever you are painting, look for an interesting arrangement of shapes, and then try to find a center of interest to work the arrangement around. Do thumbnail sketches if that helps. Always block in big shapes first to establish the design and proportions. Take your time developing a good drawing before putting color in. Keep in mind that good value contrast is just as important as color.

In conclusion, it’s important to study all the basics principles of good composition, but also to rely on your intuition. We all have an innate sense of what looks good. Go with your gut.  

5. Jeanne Rosier Smith

Composition, like drawing, reading, or driving a car, is not a one-lesson skill. It requires a layering of information, experience, and practice over time. Of all of the various tips and tricks which helped grow my grasp of composition, one realization stands out as a game-changer for me. Beneath every good painting lies a strong abstract design.  

Once I made the connection between good composition and the abstract underlying design, my painting compositions improved dramatically. I had always done thumbnail sketches, but better design means making the mental shift from a mini sketch of a scene to reducing compositions to their simplest elements: shapes of varying size, edges, values. The shift is not so much in the look of the thumbnail but in my thinking about it.

I paint seascapes and landscapes both from photos and en plein air, and in either case, I start with a recognizable scene filled with things I can name: sky, sea, waves, foam, trees, mountains, valleys, shadows.  In the thumbnail design, I compose my painting by simplifying the subject in front of me into a design on a page made of shapes, edges and values. By thinking in abstracts—are these shapes too regular? Do I need a small shape to offset this large one? Does a line need shifting?—rather than in objects—should I take out this tree?—I’m less beholden to reality and free to shift elements to strengthen the design.  Often bad composition is simply due to too much adherence to reality.  

Like any acquired skill this kind of design judgement is a muscle that needs training; I keep and continually add to a folder of paintings (both contemporary and classic) that I admire for their excellent composition. I return to them often as lessons and inspiration.  

6. Julie Freeman

Art Historians have passed down criteria they feel are the basics of good composition: Line, Shape, Form, Colour, Space. We would assume these are based on observation of perceived successful artworks and the common elements that link them. Within the art world, the composition is considered important, but sometimes a piece works that doesn’t follow the rules.

My chosen genre (photo realism) requires detail which I get from my own reference images. Quite often I see the image through the camera lens and know instinctively it would make a good painting without analysis, or any thought to compositional elements. It is pleasing to the eye. Artistic intuition?  

Artwork of mine that is considered successful incorporates basic compositional elements, (not necessarily all of them). I want to showcase and celebrate my subject as it is, so colour choices are chosen for me in that sense. Colour is an important element of composition and can bring an emotional response from the viewer, just as much as the chosen subject itself. 

A lot of my work is a more intimate portrayal of a subject. I love detail so many of my pastels have the main subject front and centre so to speak, up close and personal. Usually there’s less negative space and less detail. It could be out of focus with a suggestion of colour and shapes or just a plain coloured background. 

If the subject is light and bright I often have a darker background for contrast and to bring it forward, as in my flamingo series. Generally, contrast of elements within my work, whether with colour, texture, value or hard/soft edges, is a strong compositional tool that I use.

My subjects like seascapes, nautical, or florals have been composed initially through the camera lens. I then take the image and play with it on a design program. Cropping for me is important to showcase my subject or elements within the artwork. I often enlarge the image and use a section from a full-frame.  An example of this is Southern Kelp V (see below).

My thoughts are that although a solid composition may be pleasing to the eye, there are other aspects that might determine what is considered a successful piece of art. The artist may consider their work successful because they have achieved their intent, conquered a technique, achieved awards, or sold the work. The viewer may see it as successful for a variety of reasons, just purely subjective and not based on any understanding of the technical elements. 

To summarise, my secrets are :

• Good cropping of the subject
• Contrast
• Colour
• Artistic intuition

7. Michele Mozzone

Planning! Since I work from photos, I may be excited to work with an image, but it is crucial that I resist the urge to jump right into a painting. 

I always do thumbnail sketches. I work out my three basic values in the thumbnail – light, mid-tone and dark. 

Manipulating, cropping or editing elements in the composition to guide the eye around may be necessary while being aware of restful areas and focal points. 

I try to be conscious of the negative spaces that I’m leaving around and between important elements in the composition and vary those spaces so they are less predictable and more interesting to the eye. 

Be aware of tangent points – an unintended focal point caused by awkwardly placed elements in the composition. 

I limit my colour palette to create cohesiveness throughout the composition. 

We all know the rule that using odd numbers makes for a more successful composition. But if I do have two similar elements as in the painting below, I let one grab more attention, hence the bright red bathing suit. 

8. Albert Handell

In my mind, the question is ….What aspect of the subject is most important…and what is secondary?

The most important part is usually the part that stands out the strongest. Let’s refer to that area as the “positive area” for it positively has to be painted, and the rest of the composition which supports it as the secondary area or negative area.

Thus, everything is not the same.

Through the years as I was dealing with this question, “What is important with this subject, or any subject, and what is secondary?” I found that by painting vignettes, “unfinished works”, I was able to clearly focus in on the part of the scene that truly interested me and I was able to let the rest fall away, thus becoming secondary.

Here, in this pastel painted en plein air, I focused in on the “Lion King Rock” itself, so named because Walt Disney lived right next door to Indian Gardens and used it in his Lion King movie.

Compositionally….my first mark was to establish the line from the top of the Lion King rock formation, from the viewer’s upper left to lower right. To separate the two areas, I made sure the top was not in the middle of the page.

That line is basically long and separates the sky from the rock formation. Now I focus in on the area that I wished to paint – call it a portrait of the Lion King. I establish the darks first with a watercolor underpainting. As I worked on the rock formation, and after a considerable establishment of colors for the rocks, I put just a touch of blue to compare edges. I did not paint the sky until later. If you look at the blue of the sky, it is basically painted as a “flat pattern” the same color or value all over as compared to the nuances of colors for the rock face.

That initial line is basically the beginning of the composition, establishing the division of space and ends the pastel painting intact. 

9. Stephanie Birdsall

Hmmmmm….”Creating a good Composition”……. As soon as I start to envision my painting, be it still life or landscape, I look for the path of light and how it falls on the subject and leads my eyes through it. I think of the light as a melody moving through my painting. The light also creates the dark and light patterns, which I also look for to help establish the pattern of movement. I also look for the big simple shapes. Too many small ones can create chaos.

In landscape, I often look for the traditional “S” curve to guide my eye through the composition, using creeks and rivers, the planes on a mountain, the line of trees. Again, it’s a path for the eye to follow. I organize what I’m seeing in my mind before I ever start. With plein air, I do a light sketch on my canvas or a thumbnail sketch, laying in my shadows so that they stay constant while the light changes because they are part of the dark pattern.

My foremost goal in composition, is to keep the viewer’s eye moving and stopping but always within my picture plane. I want to hold their interest and not have them slide out the top, bottom, or sides of the picture plane.

10. Christine Swann

For me, the best way to tackle something as complex as composition is to turn to nature. I have been fascinated by certain relationships in nature and the many systems that artists have used in the past to create harmony and order. One such relationship found all over the universe and repeated in nature (including on the human body) is the Fibonacci Sequence. This is a series of numbers that builds upon itself and which is found in growing things everywhere creating specific and beautiful arcs. The most familiar example of it is the nautilus shell. Once thought of as the “fingerprint of God,” this curve is found everywhere including on the outside edges of our ears and on pineapples and pinecones. 

So when I met this man I knew I wanted to paint his craggy face. Although homeless, I couldn’t help but think of how he had at one time been someone’s blue-eyed little boy. So naturally, the blue of the eyes became my focus. I then realized that I could use the Fibonacci spiral as a major component to the portrait. I set about moving around elements and cropping the image so that the Fibonacci spiral would lead around to one eye. I even created a drawing of the spiral at the exact size of the painting and had them side-by side on my easel as I was working so I could constantly check the placement of marks and elements.  

To use the exact spiral the painting had to be in the right proportions, so the dimensions of the painting are 21 x 13 inches. These are Fibonacci numbers. Along that lovely universal spiral, I made edges of things – like his collar and hat – follow the curve. Then his whiskers and creases in his face were slightly altered to follow it as well. It took some time and many sketches to get the exact placement correct. For instance, where to place his face in the picture plane and how big it needed to be. Once I had that, everything else fell into place. This also gave me clear areas outside of the spiral that were not as important. I knew I could “let those areas go” and that doing so would serve to support my focus. To me, this gave the painting an unexplainable grace, a clear focus, and a wonderful way to control my composition.  

Composition is nothing more than an artist showing complete control over an image. It doesn’t matter what photo references or even what your model present to you. You, the artist, are responsible for composing all elements in an image to tell a story, show focus, and bring an artistic bent to the art. It is art we are making after all. So no matter what system or thoughts you have regarding composition, find your focus first, then make sure everything else supports that.  

11. Aaron Schuerr

Before I begin I ask myself, what caught my eye? To borrow from Cezanne, what is the “initial sensation?” What do I naturally focus on, and how does it make me feel? If the answers are clear and unequivocal, then I’m probably ready to get out the sketchbook and work out a composition. If the answer is vague and uncertain, I might need to walk around and see if another angle on the scene is more dynamic. 

The “initial sensation” might be as small as the glint of light on a snowbank, or as vast as the scale of a towering peak. Either way, what catches my eye dictates how I construct the painting. 

I must take the time to consider my relationship to the landscape. Is it a place I could easily explore? Or is it steep and inhospitable? A good composition isn’t just about the shapes, it tells you something about how the artist felt at that place and time. 

12. Lorenzo Chavez

This is a very good question that gets asked many times during my workshops I conduct across the country. I have taught master workshops on composition in which we go over the fundamental landscape compositions. I first learned these by intensely studying Edgar Payne’s book, Composition of Outdoor Painting, and Birge Harrison’s Landscape Painting both of which I highly recommend. (Birge Harrison was a teacher to John F Carlson who wrote the classic book, Landscape Painting.)

I go over the compositions with my students and then show images of paintings that reflect these compositions. I then have my students do variations of the compositions they have just learned by drawing them in their sketchbooks. Then I have them do variations of the compositions based on the same subject. Students find the exercise challenging and enlightening.

The compositions we study are:

1. The Steelyard

2. Triangle design-Balanced Scales

3. Radiating Line design

4. Circle or Oval composition

5. S or Z curve

6. Diagonal line

7. The Cross design

8. Rectangular or L Shape

I feel that these compositions are time honored and very respected design ideas. No secrets needed. They can be seen and studied in many historic works and in paintings by today’s best contemporary painters. Once a student is introduced to the compositional design armatures, one can see then readily in paintings and in nature.

My painting, The Masters Bouquet, is based on the Radiating Line design and the Steelyard composition.

Once you understand these compositions you will never see nature the same again or for that matter, paintings in museums.

13. Michael Freeman

My secret is that I don’t have a secret! Good composition for me is simply (or not so simply) the result of intuition and experience. In the final analysis I trust my subconscious instincts when determining a composition for a painting rather than consciously applying predetermined formulas, rules, or principles.

Ultimately ‘Visual Elements’ (line, shape/form, color, texture, tone/value, negative/positive space, depth, etc), ‘Artistic Principles’ (harmony, perspective, light and shade, size, scale, detail, overlapping, proportions, balance, emphasis, movement, planes/surfaces, etc), and ‘Compositional Techniques/Rules’ (simplification, symmetry, rule of thirds, rule of odds, geometry, Fibonacci, figure/ground, golden ratio, leading lines, etc) are all helpful in explaining why a composition works. However, the overriding factor for me to determine my final composition is what feels right!

For me, the process of beginning any painting starts with my camera. It is an essential tool for me as a Photorealist/Hyperrealist artist. I believe that the camera is a much undervalued, often maligned and misunderstood artistic tool. However, as with all tools of any artist, it is only as good as the person using it!

The camera is the starting point for where my ultimate composition is born. The digital camera was a game changer for the photorealist/hyperrealist artist – as there is no limit on how many images one can take. You are free to actively explore all of the visual elements, artistic principles, and compositional techniques/rules in real time. You can never take too many images.

When taking images for my paintings, I am constantly playing with the physical world to see what I can create in terms of an image: close up/far away; up high/down low; in focus/out of focus; light/dark; sports mode/macro; landscape/portrait; 2D/3D; perspective/no perspective; etc.

Back in the studio is where I start to review my photographs with a critical eye. I’m looking for something that is screaming PICK ME! And I pick it because it tells a story, captures a moment, is special or unique and of course has a composition which I feel will grab the viewer’s eye/imagination and draw them in. 

Once I have selected an image I will spend some time playing with the values and finalising the cropping of the image for my painting. 

The painting I chose here is ‘UFOs’, one of my BuzzyBee still life series. In this case there is an additional compositional step to what I’ve described above. Before taking any photographs, I spend time arranging the objects that I have selected for my still life painting – playing around with many different physical arrangements/compositions including lighting.

The composition for this painting I believe is a good example of many of the: ‘Visual Elements’; ‘Artistic Principles’; and ‘Compositional Techniques/Rules’ that I outlined above. However, I will let you decide which if any apply, and whether this composition is successful or not as only you can decide whether this painting works for you!

Composition is, of course, a critical component of any successful painting. For me, however, it is my inner artistic voice, intuition, and experience that enable me to determine the compositions of my paintings.

Paint what you love and remember the most important rule: ‘Rules are there to be broken’. No one art genre is superior to any other, they are all equally amazing, so choose the one that speaks to you, listen to your own artistic voice and have fun!

14. Karen Margulis

I approach composition by thinking about how the viewer might see the painting. My goal is to create a visual journey for the viewer. I want to invite them into the painting and show them around. I want to give them places to rest and enjoy but still pull them through the entire painting. I can do this by creating visual pathways with my composition choices. If I can keep the viewer in mind as I design and paint, it helps me arrange my shapes and use contrast to create interesting and successful compositions. I think of the viewer before I begin, while I paint and when I am evaluating a painting for the finishing marks. 

15. Michele Ashby

For me, good composition is the spark that ignites the fire in a painting. It’s the element that draws us in, making us look for longer, allowing our eye to be directed across each individual element that makes up a painting, finally settling on its main focal point. Composition is what makes the viewer keen to ask questions about the piece.

The rules I am about to impart I’ve carried with me from many many years ago when I was first at college, then University studying for a BA (Hons) degree in graphic design. They are each a significant consideration when composing your painting. BUT and it’s a big BUT, rules are always there to be broken.

The rule of thirds is something I always have at the forefront of my mind when constructing my composition. Imagine dividing your paper into thirds vertically and horizontally, then rather than having the focal point placed dead centre of your page, think about offsetting it so that the image is placed at the intersection of one of the divisions, or on one of the lines. See how it creates a much more interesting composition. In my painting ‘Voodoo Chile,’ see how the face and, more importantly, the features of the face (arguably the focal point) are placed offset from the centre in the left third? 

Framing is another important consideration to think about when considering your composition. It should highlight the subject and bring the viewer’s focus to a particular point in any painting. Essentially get rid of all the things that don’t bring anything to the table! Particularly when producing a portrait, think about what can be used to frame your piece. With my painting, I was lucky enough to use the natural frame of my sitter’s beautiful hair. Consider using hands, scarves, another sitter, or outside structures like doors and windows.

Always know your focus! If you have too much going on within your frame it may mean that the viewer just keeps searching for a point of focus. This inevitably means they will get bored of looking when they can’t find one. Of course you can have secondary points of focus too, but make sure they don’t steal all the limelight!

16. Chris Ivers

I’ll probably be coming at this from a very different angle than many other traditional artists due to the fact that I pretty much compose through the lens of a camera. Since I worked for over 40 years in the advertising and marketing world, and rose from being a young board artist in the “bullpen” to Creative Director of my own Ad Agency, I am comfortable “sizing up” my compositions in a rectangular format. It can be vertical or horizontal, but after so many years of photographic art direction and layout it is pretty easy to see what pleases my eye.

Whether a two-page horizontal spread or a vertical magazine cover I was using the same visual aspects that make any painting I work on successful: focal points, having your viewer travel within the painting, contrast, color, and motion. I didn’t even know what “the golden mean” was until a few years ago! Goes to show you that art school taught me nothing in the 70’s! 

Working with creative professional photographers over the years was a big help to me throughout my career, and it helps me to this day. Telling the story was at the forefront of any ad I created and the same still holds true with painting. Taking a camera out to “size up” a layout en plein air is the only way I can paint outside. With all the “buzz” that Mother Nature has to offer, this is the way I calm her down so I am able to paint with her. 

So I am comfortable carrying my phone and camera around and taking pictures with a lot of “bleed” so that when I bring these shots into Photoshop I have enough image to crop what might hinder the composition. I guess I have a “feeling” as to what is a good or bad composition in a photo frame and if I like the composition in the photo, I’m sure to love painting that scene.

17. Clarence Porter

Good composition naturally occurs in nature – we just have to look for it. I look at the world like it’s a painting and I carry my camera to capture my references. I generally photograph with the “Rule of Thirds” in mind to help clarify my compositions. It’s not a tight adherence but I find that the scenes of interest to me tend to adhere to the “Rule”. I look for the placement of elements and how they relate to each other and the “Thirds” intersections. I also look for a balance between objects in a scene and their dark/light value balance.

I do small three-value studies (dark, mid-tone, light) from my reference shots and reduce the elements in the scene to their simplest shapes. This helps me further clarify my composition. The value studies become the basis for my underpainting. Then I do a small colour study to lock down the general areas of colour. And then…away I go!

18. Jeanne Tangney

Although it is definitely helpful to be aware of the guidelines of composition – the Rule of Thirds, the location of the focal point, the incorporation of a variety of sizes, shapes and spacing – I feel it is even more important to apply these principles to support the initial concept behind the painting. Is it a landscape about the sky? Or is it about the land or water? Altering the traditional placement of the horizon can add drama to a painting. 

What about placing the focal point in an unexpected location? Can adding other areas of interest as balance make it work? Do these compositional elements lead your eye throughout the painting, causing the viewer to linger in certain spots for a closer look? 

These are all questions worth considering rather than just following a formulaic approach. The important thing is to not lose sight of your reason for creating the painting in the first place, the composition is there to support your intention!

19. Sally Strand

Before I begin a painting, I “think” on paper with a pencil or markers, using very small thumbnail sketches (not drawings – this is “ideation”). The thumbnails or notan sketches are about 1-2inches. I squint and try to mass the values into three to four major value shapes with no detail. 

The lower left thumbnails in my sketchbook show my thinking process. The left one shows the value pattern I  made of the lawn bowlers (dressed in white) placed against a dark background. On the right, I was thinking of making the figures darker than a light background which changes the emotional climate of the piece. 

I had been painting this series using dark backgrounds to set off the white clothing. By switching the value structure and making the color palette tonal and neutral, it changed the feel of this series completely. I was pleased with this altered outcome and the judges awarded this painting a top prize in New York. 

20. Duane Wakeham

The coastal landscape of central and northern California has been my primary subject for over 50 years. Initially I painted in oils, venturing into pastels only in the mid-1980s when one of my dealers requested some works on paper as well.  In more recent years I’ve worked primarily in pastels.

Having been a studio painter for most of my career, I acknowledge using photos for reference.  A quick glance at Estero Evening, which is characteristic of my pastel painting style, is evidence that I am not interested in photo realism.  I think suggested realism more accurately describes the way I paint.

As for today’s topic – Composition – my mantra is “a painting is an arrangement of shapes and colors.”  Throughout the painting process I try to focus on composition instead of subject matter. It is only when I am satisfied with the distribution of shapes and the color that I turn my attention to making the subject matter as convincing as I think necessary.

Whether working in pastel or oil, I begin by accepting the edges of the paper or the canvas as the first four lines of the composition; all subsequent lines and shapes that are added relate to those edges with no later cropping to save the painting. As a landscape painter, the first line drawn is almost always a horizontal one extending across the full width of the working surface to establish both the horizon line (in this painting, the water line) and the eye level of the viewer. All additional lines and shapes are drawn in relation to that initial line. The resulting basic composition of Estero Evening is very simple – three lines, four shapes. Subdivision of each of the four shapes began to reveal minimal definition of the intended subject but was not a detailed drawing of the scene.

The move into color was blocking in each of the main shapes with a single color that was then dissolved with denatured alcohol, creating a simplified underpainting. Once the actual painting is underway, my approach has always been to work over the whole surface at more-or-less the same time so that whenever I take a break, everything has been developed to about the same degree. Each time I pick up a new color I introduce it throughout the painting.

Unlike studies that can be done in a matter of minutes, a painting such as Estero Evening can take several days or more, in part because I spend so much time considering where and how to modify a color by layering it with other colors closely related both in value and intensity.  This is evidenced throughout the painting; no area can be defined as being only a single color.

Most satisfying for me is the upper left corner of the painting with its two mere glimpses of Drakes Bay* and the evening light reflecting off the cliffs so many miles in the distance.  Although the color of both the cliffs and the mountains beyond may seem isolated, they appear through the painting.  If I may repeat, “a painting is an arrangement of shapes and colors.”

*The Estero and Drake’s Bay are part of Point Reyes National Seashore.

~~~~~~

As Duane Wakeham pointed out in his response to my question, now their secrets are no longer secret!

I’m so happy to bring this collective wisdom to you. You know how much I love your feedback and in this case, with so many artists participating, I definitely encourage you to leave a response for them below. 

Until next time!

~ Gail

PS. There were some references to books above and I’ve gathered them all here along with books written by some of my guests.