In the Studio: Composition for telling nature stories
Lake Alpine Fishing
Watercolor on paper
During December, I focused on studying composition and design with painter Thomas Jefferson Kitts. There are occasionally in your life game changer classes. This, for me, was one of them.
It was definitely an egghead class as we nerded out over paintings by Sargent, Rothko, and other luminaries for four days, discussing the composition in detail. It made my brain sing.
Of course we learned about the language of composition and design. Diagonals, repetition of form, etc. But my two biggest, most groundbreaking takeaways were:
Composition is a language. It helps you communicate a whole book in one image. It helps artists tell a story, define an idea, send messages encoded into a visual.
The photo is not the painting. The most profound exercise Kitts assigned was to make multiple small, 2 to 3-inch studies, changing up elements, playing with shapes and design. It was so freeing to realize that it’s possible to escape the twin tyranny of perfection and reality to create a better, more real image.
I’m looking forward to painting this year in a way that I haven’t in a long time. And I can’t wait to share the results with you!
Thank you for coming along on this journey with me. Your support and attention mean the world to me. Thank you so much!
