The Creative Life - Barbara Trovillo

“A variation of edges, along with the proper value, allows the artist to draw attention to or away from different areas of the painting” ~ Kenn Backhaus, American Painter

These days as I paint, I think a lot about edges. 

As an early painter, I painted everything as I saw it. I put in all the edges as I replicated what was before me. Now, as an impressionist painter, I paint loosely, making suggestions, leaving room for the imagination.

Varying the edges in a painting is a way to move the viewer's eye through the work. Sharp edges demand attention. Hard edges are when you have two shapes side by side and everything has a clean hard line. Soft edges are a bit fuzzed. Lost edges are when you can’t distinguish between where one shape stops and the adjacent one begins.

In the painting I have titled Solace, I tried to keep the edges soft and the colors neutral. I painted the white blossoms of the stock softly and expressively. Though the flowers and pitcher are white, many hues of pink, blue and yellow make up the illusion of white. I kept the chroma low in the painting. The greens in the stems and foliage are toned down with a soft purple and their edges are a bit blurred. The sharpest edges in this painting are those of the table on which the pitcher sits. If I was to do the piece over again, I might do that differently. The good news is, I will have another painting in which to do better!

Up until now, I have been determining edges when the work is almost finished. Going forward, I will try to make some decisions about the edges when I am planning the piece. As in everything, one must practice, practice, practice! 

Happy Creating, Barbara