The Keys to Powerful Paintings

On the Red Willow Art YouTube Channel, we are sharing an Art Chat Podcast in which Master Artists Linda Fisler and Quang Ho discuss the keys to powerful paintings. The discussion centers around Simplicity, a basic that any artist or collector needs to recognize, but it is often overlooked.  Simplicity contributes to the painting's strength. It helps to focus the message or story the artist is telling. 

Let's look at some key foundational elements in painting and how simplicity should be used. First, let's talk about values. Many master artists use 3 or 4 values in their artwork. If you want to understand value, look at Fechin's work. There is an old saying that an artist has millions of color choices, but artists are limited to ten values. Simplifying the values used unifies the paintings. It settles the eye and provides direction throughout the painting. Too many value shifts hurt the eye or how we perceive the painting. Viewers lose interest as they try to follow a path to the focal point of the painting. Study any master artists' paintings by changing them to black and white on your computer. Then, you will discover how value was used to direct the eye. 

Another foundational element that needs simplification and understanding is reducing the scene to simple shapes. Painting every leaf on a tree would not only take forever but would drive any artist crazy. Artists look for shapes of color. Is it a warm or cool color? This begins the process of simplifying the objects in a painting. 

So many more elements are discussed in the Art Chat with Quang Ho. We invite you to listen to and study Quang's artwork in this Art Chat on our Red Willow Art YouTube Channel.     Quang Ho on Simplicity: The Key to Powerful Paintings.