WHAT IS IT - WHERE IS IT AT - WHAT IS IT DOING ... ?

How to identify what is important in your work.

EXAMPLE:

RED TABLE

The bright red table cloth in the center of the painting catches the viewer’s attention because 1) it is the only thing in the painting that is the color red, and 2) the red color is an intense saturated red. The table cloth also has vertical lines moving down at slight angles that connect with the wavy lines at the bottom edge of the table cloth, giving it a feeling of movement further attracting the viewer’s attention to the table cloth and the center of the painting because nothing else in the painting appears to have movement.

The lines on the far left corner of the table draw (point) the viewer’s attention to the high contrast area (background) between the white walls and the black vertical corner line which pulls the viewer’s attention downward to the left center to the thick black lines running horizontal and angular to the left and right sides of the painting allowing the viewer’s perception to be taken back into the foreground of the painting and into a space with objects sitting in yellow.

The yellow floor space contrasts with the white and black vertical and angular lines and directs the viewer’s attention back to the red table cloth and also to the green stool. The round shape of the green stool recedes compared to the acceding rectangular shape of the table as does the receding cool color of green compared to the acceding red color of the table cloth.

The large black shadow in the lower right draws the viewer’s attention down to the lower right of the painting but also moves the viewer’s eye again to the center along the line of the narrow table leg shadow, a thick black line pointing towards the window in the upper left section of the painting. The window lines appear to point towards the table (and the shadow) emphasizing the center of the painting.

The green stool in the lower left corner by its shape of roundness and object purpose seems to sit there supported by contrasting white and black angular lines with the three lines on the interior of the stool all connecting to imply a feeling of stability and lack of movement with its own black shadow anchoring it to the mass of yellow, creates a stable feeling, a feeling that invites the viewer into the painting.

The color of the green door in the upper right of the painting compliments the red color of the table cloth. The vertical lines of the door are balanced with the horizontal lines of the door so the viewer’s attention is not drawn up and out of the painting but is connected to the horizontal lines of the red table cloth.

All four corners of the table point out into the room towards the door, towards the window (background) and towards a sense of empty space in the foreground of the painting.

All supported by the three intersecting lines in the center left of the painting that run from their connecting point and extend outward to the left and right sides of the painting creating space.

This composition shows design integration and balance making the painting pleasant to view.