32 Artists Magazine May 2020
Build LESSON
PRINCIPLE 5: CONTRAST
I’m always thinking in terms of oppo-
sites and how opposites attract. If
a composition is too dominated by
one shape, it’s nice to add the com-
plement of the shape into the design
to balance it. If you have a lot of large
objects, try to add some interesting
small objects to the composition. If
a composition is too busy, balance it
with some passive areas to let the eyetake a break. If one color is too domi-
nant, balance it with its complement.
Balancing isolated objects with
grouped objects is another way to
create contrast. If one area of the
image contains a lot of overlapping
shapes, another area might have just
one isolated object. The “busy” part of
the design is balanced against a much
more passive part.Variety in a composition can
also be key to a successful painting.
Variety really is the spice of life, as
too much of anything can get boring.
A nice variety of shapes is a great
way to spice up your composition.
If you have a lot of circular shapes,
a contrasting angular shape can help
balance the composition.TIP
Edit wisely. Placing the wrong
object in a setup can change the
whole story tremendously. The trick
is to fi nd the sweet spot where,
if you add one more thing to the
composition, it will be too much
and, if you subtract one thing, the
design will fall apart. I always tell
my students to collect the elements
they want to use in a picture, create
a setup using all of them and then,
slowly, remove one item at a time.
When it seems like you’ve taken out
one element too many, put that last
thing back—you’ve found what’s
needed to tell your story in its
simplest form.ABOVE
In Black Jug (2010;
oil on panel, 8x10)
Sadie Valeri achieves
contrast through
a diff erence in scale.
COURTESY OF THE ARTIST
RIGHT
In Minneolas (2009,
oil on canvas, 10x18),
by Joshua LaRock,
the grouping of the
bucket and oranges
is contrasted by
the half-peeled
orange on the left.
The objects are
still united through
color and repetition
of the shapes but
are contrasted
by grouping and
isolating.
COURTESY OF THE ARTIST.