As an artist, I often find that the composition of a painting is just as crucial as the subject itself. Composition is the backbone of any artwork, guiding the viewer's eye and creating a sense of harmony and balance.

About 30 years ago, I was commissioned to create a floral painting for a client who had a specific request: they wanted a horizontal painting primarily featuring a large floral. Typically a vertical composition is something I often gravitate towards, as it naturally draws the eye upward and creates a sense of elegance.

However, given the horizontal format requested by the client, I knew that a single flower in the middle of the canvas would leave too much empty space on either side, resulting in an unbalanced and static composition. To address this, I decided to paint three separate florals in vases, each with its own unique characteristics.

By placing three vases across the canvas, I was able to create a more dynamic and balanced composition. The varying sizes and shapes of the vases, along with the different types of flowers, added visual interest and movement. This arrangement also allowed me to play with the negative space between the vases, ensuring that the entire canvas was engaged and visually appealing.

This experience reinforced my belief that composition is not just about placing elements within a frame; it's about creating a visual journey for the viewer. A well-composed painting can evoke emotions, tell a story, and draw the viewer in, making them feel connected to the artwork.

Composition is a fundamental aspect of painting that should never be overlooked. Whether working with a vertical or horizontal format, it's essential to consider how the elements within the painting interact with each other and the space around them. By doing so, we can create artworks that are not only visually pleasing but also deeply engaging.

Improving compositional skills is essential for any artist looking to create balanced and engaging artwork. Here are some techniques that can help improving your compositional skills:

1. Rule of Thirds: Divide your canvas into a 3x3 grid and place key elements along these lines or at their intersections. This creates a more dynamic and balanced composition.

2. Leading Lines: Use lines within your artwork to guide the viewer's eye towards the focal point. These can be actual lines or implied lines created by the arrangement of elements.

3. Balance: Ensure that your composition feels balanced. This can be achieved through symmetrical or asymmetrical arrangements. Balance doesn't mean everything has to be equal, but rather that the composition feels stable.

4. Contrast: Use contrast in color, texture, and size to create interest and draw attention to certain areas of your painting.

5. Negative Space: Pay attention to the space around your subject. Negative space can help define the subject and create a more pleasing composition.

6. Focal Point: Establish a clear focal point to draw the viewer's eye. This can be achieved through contrast, placement, or detail.

7. Simplification: Sometimes less is more. Simplifying your composition can help to focus on the main elements and avoid clutter.

8. Movement: Create a sense of movement by arranging elements in a way that leads the viewer's eye through the painting. This can be done with curves, diagonals, or repeated shapes.

9. Perspective: Use perspective to create depth and dimension in your composition. This can be achieved through techniques like overlapping, size variation, and linear perspective.

10. Thumbnail Sketches: Before starting a painting, create small, quick sketches to explore different compositional ideas. This helps to visualize and refine the composition before committing to the final piece.

By practicing these techniques, artists can develop a stronger sense of composition and create more compelling and visually appealing artworks.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR & ARTIST: BRADFORD BRENNER

Born June 9th, 1959 in New York City, NY to art collector parents, Bradford Brenner has been a professional artist for the last 35 years.  His work has been featured in numerous national art publications and can be found in private and corporate collections throughout the world.  Brenner’s gallery and studio is located on the historic Plaza in Healdsburg, CA.

Brad received his education from both University of California, Santa Barbara and San Diego State. Receiving creative inspiration and ideas intuitively, his emotive imagery and loose brushstrokes reflect an instinctive and intuitive spirit. Collectors are drawn to the freedom and looseness that represents his unique style, and highly spontaneous rich, multi-layered works. Brenner draws upon a wealth of artistic influences, including his passion for and study of the Old Masters, the Impressionists, the Tonalists and the Abstract Expressionists to create a style that is uniquely his own.