All about the inspiration behind the art. Acrylic Paintings, Impressionism, Art, Southern, Modern, Contemporary, Coastal, Flowers, Famous Places, New Orleans, Florida, Gulf Coast, Food, Expressionism, Fauve, Cityscapes, Architecture, Decor, Painting, Beach, Tropical, Seascape, Landscape, Still Life Mona Vivar Fine Art: September 2014

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Contrast To Make Paintings Catch the Eye

The two elements of an eye-catching painting are contrast and color.  I have written several posts about using color to make a painting come to life, so today I will discuss contrast.
 
Light and dark contrast makes any scene more interesting.  Nature always offers us fine examples of vivid shifts in light.  I am especially fond of the light in Florida and used a photograph I took of palm trees and shadows on a wall to make my point.  The following is a walk through of Welcome to Florida my latest acrylic painting.

I have studied the beauty of Florida's landscapes for years and almost feel them when I paint.  So when I began this painting I attacked the canvas with very loose fast brushstrokes to block in the major areas. 

 
 
 I like showing what my palette looks like during the painting process.  I always smile and wonder how the colors of the palette can look so yummy even when a painting hasn't come together...


 
 
 
So back to the painting.  I keep adding layers of colors and bring more focus on the shapes of the palm fronds and the wall behind them.
 
 



I add even more palm fronds and bring up the light with my lightest greens and yellows.  I thought the image below was going to be the final one, but I left the painting alone until the next day in order to better judge how it came out.


 
 
Ultimately, I decided that the hard line of the wall on the left of the painting was distracting.  I simply went in and added more palm fronds over the wall to make the line disappear.  I also added a few more intense, but light greens on the fronds and splashes of palest pink on the wall.  I am satisfied that the light appears to dance on the wall because of the contrast between the darkest shadows and the lightest lights.  I hope this painting catches your eye!

Copyright Mona Vivar, Welcome to Florida, 14 inches by 11 inches, acrylic on canvas
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