Methods of composing

North Face by Jennifer Wiggs.
gouache on paper, 17x20".c2010

Dutch Interior by Joan Miro

One method of achieving more interesting compositions is to cut a larger piece down; cut out the parts that are dull, too busy or just bad and then start with the fragment. A small area of a piece could be the start of your next painting or it could just BE the painting.This painting is from a series where 'white' (in this case the white of the page) is the central  focus. This is a fragment from the original, where half was cut out and pitched. We grow accustomed to norms of composing and I enjoy deliberately challenging those conventions.Using purple in a landscape is one way; moving horizon lines around is another. Do things the wrong way and see what happens.