painting thoughts from Kate Starling…
Composition is the element I know must be strong in every successful painting. Every other part can be right, authentic and true, but composition tells the viewer what is important and how to get there. This is what I like to emphasize in my plein air instruction. When painting subjects such as rivers and barns, subjects known for big, simple shapes, we will work on identifying the focus, how to lead the eye to it and how to move past it and around the picture plane. I will demonstrate, through a few simple sketches for each subject, how to explore and play with the basic shapes and choose the one that conveys my intention.”