Working with a variety of unusual materials encourages an artist to be more playful—even daring. Not being constrained by the need to depict recognizable objects can also be a liberating experience because it lets the artist explore color, shape, and texture. However, to make a picture satisfying for the viewer, the artist still needs to keep the principles of good composition in mind. These basic concepts apply regardless of medium and whether or not the work is representational or nonrepresentational.

Dog Days by Artists Network forum member mksart is a non-representational, mixed media collage that comes across as a unified whole; all the pieces belong with no misfits. The dominant warm color scheme pulls everything together, and the picture has a variety of interesting textures that invites the eye to explore the entire surface. Together, unity, dominance and variation create a solid compositional foundation.

There are a few things, though, that the artist could do to make the composition even better:
•    Add more value contrast. Stronger lights and darks would give the picture visual punch.
•    Vary the sizes of the shapes, as well as the distance of the shapes from each other.
•    Create a single focal point to serve as a home base for the eye. As the painting is now, there are several centers of equal importance.

All three of these suggestions could be implemented with a couple of changes: First make one or two shapes (or a configuration of shapes—such as the converging triangles in the upper left) larger than the other shapes. Then dramatically increase the difference in the tonal value of these shapes from that of the background. This strategy would create a strong focal point, relieve the monotony of same-sized shapes and introduce strong value contrast.

Basic composition principles are a good guide when experimenting with different ways to create an exciting, eye-pleasing picture, which Dog Days certainly is.

Click here to read about Greg Albert and his approach to critiquing.

Artwork for the Art Clinic is chosen from work posted on the Art Clinic forum, which is part of the Artists Network message board. (You must log on as a registered member to post on the Art Clinic forum.)