There are many different ways of catching the viewer’s eye. In painting, obviously, subject matter, color choices and brushstroke all work to render a work more or less interesting. But composition is just as, or even more important to a painting’s success.
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| Watching Over You 19" x 30" watercolor on paper by Patricia Hunter |
“By painting close-ups of the animals, I can achieve a different kind of composition, and focus on design and texture,” she said. “This technique also enables me to include considerable details in the work, such as the animals’ hair and whiskers.” By the way, Patricia is a watercolor painter, which makes her technique even more amazing to me!
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Family Gathering 22" x 30", watercolor on paper by Patricia Hunter |
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Walk With Me 8.25" x 10.25" watercolor on paper by Patricia Hunter |
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Downtime 18.5" x 24" watercolor on paper by Patricia Hunter |
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Moo Bull 5" x 5" oil on canvas by Sheridan Brown |
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Bright Eyes 6" x 6" oil on canvas by Sheridan Brown |
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Anticipation 24" x 24" oil on canvas by Sheridan Brown |
Background design is not of great interest to Stephano Sutherlin, except to offset his subject. His dog portraits speak to the viewer – literally. They have catchy titles, like “Do I Amuse You?” and “Can I Go, Can I?”. He zooms in on their faces - which take up most of the square canvas - and somehow gets an expression that has a human quality. His bold use of color makes the paintings pop – we really can’t ignore them!
Stephano generally favors a square format, but his choice of a narrow 40”X16” canvas for his painting “I Dare You to Lift Your Leg” pushes the cat and the fire hydrant into a tight frame. Are they actually having a conversation? It kind of looks that way!
Sarah Webber also likes a close-up perspective. She says she has an “intense” personality, so zooming in to a subject appeals to her. By getting “in the face” of the animals she paints, she can give them a personality of their own, and often with humor.
For example, the owl she portrays in “Bedroom Eyes” has a “come hither” look! The rest of his face and chest are painted in a loose colorful way, so the eyes are all the more riveting.
In “A Room with a View,” we see the humor in the donkey peering out from his stall. By painting the cropped image of his head and the stall opening, Sarah conveys the situation this fellow finds himself in. “Pig in the Straw” attracts my attention because the pig’s head and upper body are portrayed in such a painterly way, with a beautiful shadow cast on the straw. I don’t think any of these paintings would be nearly as interesting if they were ordinary views of the animals.
I guess you could say that close-up views are the painter’s way of making the ordinary into art!
You can see more by Sarah Webber, Stephano, Sheridan Brown and Patricia Hunter at www.wildemeyer.com.
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Do I Amuse You? 24" x 24" by Stephano acrylic on canvas |
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Can I Go, Can I? 24" x 24" acrylic on canvas by Stephano |
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I Dare You To Lift Your Leg 40" x 16" acrylic on canvas by Stephano |
Stephano generally favors a square format, but his choice of a narrow 40”X16” canvas for his painting “I Dare You to Lift Your Leg” pushes the cat and the fire hydrant into a tight frame. Are they actually having a conversation? It kind of looks that way!
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| Bedroom Eyes 9.5" x 9.5" oil on canvas by Sarah Webber |
For example, the owl she portrays in “Bedroom Eyes” has a “come hither” look! The rest of his face and chest are painted in a loose colorful way, so the eyes are all the more riveting.
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| A Room with a View 21.5" x 21.5" oil on canvas by Sarah Webber |
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| Pig in the Straw 19" x 22.5" oil on canvas by Sarah Webber |
I guess you could say that close-up views are the painter’s way of making the ordinary into art!
