Notes on Painting ~ Balance

Don't Look Back, acrylic on paper, 9 x 12 inches

The works must be concerned with fire in the soul
but executed with clinical coolness. 
~Joan Miro~

​My intention to post here monthly fell apart at the end of 2018. So here it is a new year, a fresh start, and a good time to talk about balance. I obviously lacked a bit of balance when I allowed busyness in the studio, and with life in general, overtake other areas that are also important to me, like posting on this blog! I know it’s not easy keeping all the parts of our lives in balance, and it is something I often hear about, the attempt to keep a sense of balance in our lives.

Just Now, acrylic on paper, 9 x 12 inches

​Balance in art is a sense of visual stability within a composition. With the use of elements such as line, texture, form, and color, visual balance provides a sense of order and unity. An artist may use compositional structures such as symmetry, asymmetry, or a radial symmetry to create balance in their art. Another way to achieve balance is with color, for example a small amount of saturated color can offset the visual weight of a large neutral area, or a small warm color can balance a large cool area. Without balance a composition may feel unsettling. Just as I felt a little unsettled when parts of my life overtook other things I wanted to do. It feels better, calmer, when things are in balance. However, I do feel it important to note that the artist’s intent is everything. Knowing how to create visual balance in a composition is important whether the artist wants to convey that sense of stability or a disruption of balance, as something unsettled may be the intended concept.

This Moment, acrylic on paper, 9 x 12 inches

​In my own work, I tend to look for ways to create balance, usually in an asymmetrical fashion, often with color, but sometimes shape, as the main balancing force. I am always trying out new ways to lead the viewer through a painting, giving them a visual path to follow. And I am working on resisting the urge to have everything too balanced. As I see my work develop, I want to push it just a little into an unsettled feeling, or rather right on that edge, so that it hopefully gives the viewer a moment of questioning pause.

Changes, acrylic on paper, 9 x 12 inches

The attitude that nature is chaotic and that the artist puts order into it is a very absurd point of view, I think.
All that we can hope for is to put some order into ourselves. 
~Willem de Kooning~

They say everything looks better with odd numbers of things. But sometimes I put even numbers – just to upset the critics. 
~Bob Ross~

As always, paintings shown here are available in my Etsy shop. Clicking on the photos should take you right there.
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​*All images and content in this article is ©Ann Thompson Nemcosky.
Please do not reproduce in any way. Thank you. *