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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Mona Vivar Fine Art