Horizontals, Verticals,
and Diagonals
Verticals suggest strength and stability. Strong manmade
objects we see regularly are telephone poles, towers,
columns, steeples, skyscrapers. In nature we recognize the
stability of a straight tree trunk or a tall sunflower. Hori-
zontals are less dramatic, more pred ictable, as the horizon
itself. We expect the water in a lake t o be flat, the floors in
our homes not to slope, d inner plat es to have flat bases,
and mattresses not to tip us out of bed. There is comfort in
the horizontal in art Diagonals when attached to verti-
cals can add to their strength, but ot herwise they take us
outside our comfort zone. This can be positive or negative.
Think of the exhilaration a skier feels when faced with a
snowy slope, or a surfer riding the waves-or, conversely,
the fear in the pit of your stomach as you descend that
steep hiking trail. Diagonals bring energy and excitement
to paintings.
WHY IS MY PAINTING BORING?
H ere are some possible reasons:
There's very little going on.
There's too much repetition-of brushstrokes,
similar-sized shapes, same color, lines in the
same direction.
It is Jacking in originality-the subject is a
cliche, it's been done too many times before,
or the style is a copy o f someone else's.
It looks exactly like everything else you paint.
It is technically clever but has nothing to say.32 I CREATIVE PAINT WORKSHOP
Conversation,
Ann Baldwin, 15" x 6"
(38. I x 15.2 cmJ. acrylic,
painted papers on Indian
handmade paper.
The long, narrow sheet
of paper gives this piece
a predominantly stable,
verticol orie ntation. The
three diagonals odd
some dynamism.