I define a center of interest composition as one in which the COI is very prominent.  I am less likely to create this type of composition, because, for some reason, I’m generally less drawn to this in nature. But, in this case, the light was hitting a stream and trees in a beautiful manner that really caught my attention. The center of interest is the area to the left of the trees where the light is brightest and the greens are reflecting into the water. For this painting, which I did as a demo, I began with a loose-wash underpainting using watercolor. The primary color is yellow green, with smaller amounts of complementary red violet. I began with majenta watercolor in the background to provide contrast, then added more local color in other areas. I wanted to be able to leave the background fairly loose and unfinished, concentrating the pastel in the center of interest. As frequently happens, however, I added pastel everywhere as it just didn’t look complete!  However, the most saturated pieces of color are definitely in the sunlit tree and grasses. I used grayed Giraults for the background, and very soft Schminckes and others soft pastels for the center of interest.    I hope that the difference in composition is clear from these two paintings and my approach to the underpaintings as well.

Which kind of painter are you?  Do you favor one type of composition over another?  Do you give thought to the type of composition when deciding on the approach to an underpainting (when one is done).  I’ll share other painting where no underpainting is used at all, but the compositional decisions are still critical.

Stream Light, 12 x 13, Wallis

When I begin considering an image as a potential painting, one of the first decisions is whether this is a potential “big shape” vs. “center of interest” composition. These are the terms I’ve defined to express the different ways in which I’ve observed well known painters deal with compositions, and I’ve found them to be useful in my own work. (I discuss this in Chapter 6 of my book.)  In this post, I’m focusing on a big shape painting, which is what I tend to do most often.  In the big shape composition, the impetus generally comes from the strength of the shapes, the flow of values, and the colors that I see or add to a landscape. (In the center of interest composition, the focus is more often on the light hitting a certain area.) Quite often the center of interest is rather minimal or needs to be added. In this painting, for example, I added the grouping of birds in the upper right portion of the painting as a center of interest. However, the painting is really about the shapes, colors, and quality of the light.  For me, this decision goes beyond the composition to influence the ways in which I will begin the picture.  With a big shape picture, I am more likely to block in the shapes in an underpainting, either using pastel or watercolor. For a center of interest painting, I’m more likely to use a loose-wash watercolor underpainting. For Great River Vista, I did a block in using watercolor. I wanted to keep the colors light and airy, and was afraid that a hard pastel underpainting might overpower the delicacy of the colors.

Great River Vista, 16 x 20, Pastelbord

Evening Calm, Port Clyde Wallis 16 x 12

Those who have studied with me know that I discourage a lot of finger blending. I find that it dulls the work and the pastel doesn’t sparkle. But selective smudging and blending can be a real boon to a painting and I’ve been doing more of it lately.  In this painting, I began by following the photograph too closely. The boat was very detailed, the background trees were green, and there was little unity. As I got down to the rocks and splashing water, I knew that this was where I wanted the eye to go and that I had to do something to fade out the background. My first solution was uniformity of color.  Using a blue violet Girault, I cooled down the distant trees and added this color to the dock at right. I twas already in the boat. Then I got rid of most of the details in the boat, leaving only a few pieces of light. Finally, I took my finger and smudged the bottom of the boat into the water. At this point, I was really pleased with the picture!  The center of interst is clearly the white, frothy water and rocks, but the background forms an interesting shape of dock, boat and hillside.

Fog Study in Blue Violet, 12 x 12, pastelbord

One of the things I like about painting skies that are basically “white” is the opportunity to work with a limited palette and choose whatever color I like for the sky.  These two paintings are from the same spot in Maine. They were painted in my studio from photos, but I painted there on site as well. Each suggested different colors to me.  Fog Study in Blue has the stronger composition, with more darks and stronger shapes. I used my new boxes of Dakota’s Blue Earth pastels (blue and cerulean) for the painting and really enjoyed them. I think this is one of the bluest paintings I’ve ever done!   Fog Study in Blue Violet was painted the day after we learned of the death of a dear friend who loved Maine. So I painted this with him in mind and it is a much gentler, almost ethereal painting. I used more detail in the foreground since there was so little in the background.  The colors are more in the blue violet range, a color I use a lot and love.    I will continue with more fog pictures, as the opportunities arise.  While the focus of the discussion has been on color, the most critical aspect of painting fog is edges!  I kept all of the distant buildings very soft edged. Only the lobster traps in the foreground of Fog Study in Blue have hard edges. The resulting contrast with water highlights the importance of the water shape, an important element in the painting.