Page 71 - The Decorative Painter Summer 2014

Part I
I find that most often the sky is what draws the viewer in, setting the mood and serving as the cata- lyst that evokes emotion. It really is the most important element of a landscape painting’s composition.
Is forever a color? Are time and space possible to capture within a page, within a frame, or within a dream? I think so, but then I’m an artist, and that’s what artists do. I have always believed that the gift of skill is a gift forever—as endless as the colors and hid- den dreams within the sky. To paint a sky is to breathe the heavens through your eyes and give its life to can- vas white, to complete the circle that we call creativity.
As artists, we are gifted people. We have two impor- tant attributes working for us—curiosity and the desire to learn. We seem to always be looking for that little bit of “something new” to advance our skills. These bits of new can be described as magic moments in design thinking; better yet, a visual key that unlocks an inno- vative concept and presents it as a work of art. It is very exciting to discover something new and even more ex- citing to share it with the world.
DESIGNING THE SKY
Designing a great sky requires an effective composi- tion. Thought should be put into the arrangement of the sky’s elements (the color and the white). It’s not so much the color that designs the sky, but rather it’s the white or lack of color that has the greatest influence. The dynam- ics of the sky depend on the placement of the white. In other words, the way you use the white determines the type of emotion that the viewer will experience.
In this four-part series, I will demonstrate four unique Skyscapes. In each article, the original light- house design will be used, although there will be some variations in order to balance each presentation prop- erly. A different media will be used in each issue.
SKILLBuILDER