Unity, Variety and Dominance in Art

There are several principles in art. One key principle is unity. Unity is achieved in several ways. Artists repeat elements in their paintings or drawings. A colour, i.e. red, may be repeated. A shape or line may be repeated. However, one element should be dominant. In my previous post, I wrote about light and dark values. A painting might be predominantly light value but there should still be mid dark and dark values in the painting. This painting might have mainly yellow hues but there would be other colours as well. These principles are dominance and variety.

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Light and Dark Values in Fine Art - A Gray Scale

The Grain Mill

Converted to a gray scale
Posted in colour on August 17, 2009

Artists frequently narrow their eyes [squint] when looking at a scene or their art. This reduces the colours, i.e. red, and artists see the scene in light and dark values. This is a gray scale; it allows artists to see the shapes, lines and contrasts. I changed my painting, The Grain Mill, to a gray mode. The foreground rocks are light and link together. The dark shapes in the middle ground also link. These shapes are connected by the light water, a bridge unifying the painting.

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Fine Art Painting, The Focal Point-"The Grain Mill"

The Grain Mill

Original Fine Art Painting
Acrylic on canvas mounted on wood stretcher bars
20.4 by 25.5 cm, 8 by 10 inches

I was attracted to the grain mill and the light on the roof. This is my focal point. It has the lightest light and the darkest dark. It has the most detail, hard edges and saturated colour. I have tried to show entry from each edge of the canvas to the grain mill. It is approximately a third horizontally and vertically on the canvas.

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