Mutual Interests – Painting of the Week

Do you ever walk up to a fence line where cows are grazing? They are often incredibly curious and will really look you over. These youngsters in my painting, Mutual Interests, seemed to thoroughly enjoy getting their photo taken! Their round shapes were a joy to paint, especially since each one has such a unique coat. To bring out their form, I varied the color and changed the direction of my brush strokes to follow the contours of their muscles. This is my first animal piece with gouache.

Composition is the arrangement of shapes in space creating a unique rhythm. Different compositional styles can perpetuate the movement or emotion the artist wants to create.

Mutual Interests is a prime example of static composition. I have always loved working with static structures to play up differences between objects and vary the rhythm, by varying the placement of your subjects. Whether in a vertical or horizontal format, the changes in size of the shapes and groupings create interest.

Sincerely,

CHECK OUT MY FACEBOOK | PINTEREST | TWITTER  | LINKEDIN | INSTAGRAM | BLOG

______________________

Surrounded by Palms was accepted into the National Oil & Acrylic Painters Society Spring Online International Exhibition.