Color and line and light are the tools. But the goal is to intrigue the viewer long enough to have them step into the painting, sit down, look around
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Paintings are not necessarily about the “subject”, but this can’t seem to be avoided when others view the work. Examples are three of my paintings below which are essentialy the same painting. They have the same color and structure but very different feeling when viewed.
Using an analogy of music, perhaps the subject of a painting is similar to the words of a song. In many cases the melody, the stucture, the movement is really what makes a song or piece of music unique, “moves the soul”. But in other cases with a piece of music the lyrics stand out as what drives the soul. Perhaps alone without the acompanying melody or movement the lyrics would not be as moving, but still they are what is the focus. So in painting. Some paintings the subject is not what drives the feeling you get. In others inescapably it is the reason.
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