Notes on Painting ~ Shape

Belonging There, acrylic on paper, 12 x 18 inches

It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.
~Henry David Thoreau~

The July Notes on Painting was all about line. So when does a line become a shape? One way is when those lines are connected in a closed form to become a shape, which makes shape the next logical topic in the vocabulary of art.  
*Please note that I have decided to dispense with the Notes on Painting pdf files and instead publish these as blog posts.

Summer Serenade No. 1, acrylic on wood panel, 8 x 8 inches

​We have geometric shapes and biomorphic shapes in our world. Geometric shapes tend to remind us of human created forms such as buildings and other structures while biomorphic shapes suggest organic forms.  I find myself most often drawn to expressing organic or biomorphic shapes as landscape and natural forms have always interested me more than the man-made. However I do like to introduce some goemetric shapes into my compositions to add variety and break up all that curvilinear space. What a painting communicates to the viewer is in large part dependent upon the kinds of shapes used in the composition.

When creating art, it can be difficult to break away from using line to seeing and articulating shapes. But I have found the practice of blocking in basic shapes a useful skill for better defining form rather than relying on line alone. A good exercise to practice seeing shapes is to create a composition with cut paper of various values and/or color, eliminating the option of drawing lines. This helps you to see the relationship of one shape to another when defining forms and values in a composition. It was with exercises such as these from my own art education experience that I have found extremely beneficial to my drawing practice. 

Tide Turning, acrylic on canvas, 16 x 20 inches

​Shapes and/or their arrangement can suggest movement, or they may suggest stability. They can be strong and weighty or light and fleeting. In the painting above, Tide Turning, I was trying to capture not only the movement of the surf but also the misty quality created by the sea spray at the water's edge. 

​And just like with line, shapes can also be implied, adding variety and visual interest in a composition.  I like to experiment with various ways to articulate shapes in my sketchbook. A group of dots or lines can become an implied shape, and these techniques sometimes make their way into my paintings.

Summer Serenade No. 5, acrylic on wood panel, 8 x 8 inches

​Shapes may be repeated, creating a pattern for rhythm and movement leading the viewer around a composition. An interruption to the pattern, or an anomaly, can spark viewer interest at a particular point in an artwork. And that technique of throwing into a composition something that is different, that interrupts, is one of my favorite devices. 

Summer Serenade Nos. 6, 3, and 4, acrylic on wood panels, 8 x 8 inches each

It is also important to consider the positive as well as the negative shapes in a composition. The entire format is one shape, that becomes further divided by more shapes until the artist is satisfied with the result. Is there enough variety to engage the viewer? Is there a sense of overall harmony tying the work together? Is that what you want to happen? Maybe you are after disharmony? All good questions to ask when beginning an artwork. What do you want to communicate with your art and how do you use shapes to express what you want to say?

Summer Serenade Nos 1 - 9, acrylic on wood panels, 8 x 8 inches each

You use a glass mirror to see your face. You use works of art to see your soul.
~George Benard Shaw~

As always, paintings shown here are available in my Etsy shop. Clicking on the photos should take you right there.

​*All images and content in this article is ©Ann Thompson Nemcosky.
Please do not reproduce in any way. Thank you. *