What's wrong with the composition of this painting?
Did you spot it? If not, here's another hint: The same kind of composition flaw is in this photo. Can you find it?
Here it is:
It is the most often ignored consideration among painters today. In layman terms, we'd call it space robbing. In visual terms, it's one of the several tangents that create an uncomfortable sense about space.
Tip: When creating a composition, there should be either overlap of shapes or space between shapes. It is visually disconcerting to have shapes touching at their edges.
Here are both compositions corrected:
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Dianne Mize Wild Dogwoods, Our Woods Oil on Canvas
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For the dogwoods' painting, a better solution was to put space between the two central blossoms. For the horses' photo, it was better to indicate space behind the main subjects by lowering the edge of the pasture so that the horses' backs overlap that edge. One or the other should always be a consideration.
Just as in music, it is the space between the notes that give creates rhythm, in visual art, the space between images determines their dynamics. Try to avoid robbing space.
Happy painting,
Dianne
P. S. On Monday, May 5, watch for a group challenge on our Facebook forum.
P.P.S. Keep your eye tuned to Facebook and watch for an extra newsletter for a special announcement within the next couple of weeks!
