Matisse exclaimed, “It is the imagination that gives depth and space to a picture.” For example in the student’s work to the left, they placed their symbols for the main design first. Next came the free flowing imagination when they experimented with watercolors and water. The student did not have a plan but put down the watercolors letting them flow together at will. This ends up being the most striking thing in the composition and the least structured! So if you are new to art or experienced try to add something free form. You could just take a paper…
Category: Composition in art
Artist Andrew Wyeth’s thoughts on sketches that don’t make the cut
American artist/icon Andrew Wyeth once said, “I’ll take weeks out doing drawings, watercolor studies, I may never use. I’ll throw them in a backroom, never look at them again or drop them on the floor and walk over them. But I feel that the communication that has seeped into the subconscious will eventually come out in the final picture.” When you look at Andrew Wyeth’s art you see many sparse, simple looking compositions. Most people including yours truly, are drawn to his wonderful art. I recently was teaching an art class on composition and I used Wyeth’s paintings as a…
Artist Renoir’s ideas about subject matter for artists.
Renoir once stated, “There isn’t a person, a landscape, or a subject that doesn’t possess at least some interest-although sometimes more or less hidden. When a painter discovers this hidden treasure, other people immediately exclaim at its beauty.” When you just do not have the “inspiration” to draw or paint something don’t give up! There is an unlimited number of options out there. Try something opposite from your usual, instead of looking at the large landscape look at the plants creating the landscape. Or get even smaller and get out a hand held magnifying class to see your house…
April Christenson artist 