Calgary Afternoon by Jane Davies

See materials list here

Composition in painting means the arrangement of elements and their relationships to one another within the frame of the piece. It is not about the interpretation of a painting, or its emotional content, or its references. It is simply the totality of its abstract visual content (whether it is an abstract painting or a representational one).

We ALL lean towards unity, repetition, and cohesiveness. Yet, often, it is the variety, the off-balance, the tension or discord in a piece that makes it compelling. This workshop is meant to bring you up against this tendency towards unity, and challenge you to expand towards variety. Working in acrylics, collage, and drawing media, we will create many studies at a small scale to explore variety and contrast. Then you will have the option of moving on to a larger scale.

About Jane Davies

Jane Davies is a full time artist working in painting and collage. She offers workshops nationwide, focusing on developing a personal and playful approach to art making. After graduating Bennington College and attending the School for American Crafts, Davies began as a potter in the early nineties. She gradually transitioned into freelance art, using painting and collage as her medium. Since 2010 she has been teaching, writing, and making art. She participated in a residency at Vermont Studio Center in 2015. In addition to The Elements of Visual Language, Davies is the author of three books on collage and mixed media, one on ceramics, has one DVD on painting and collage techniques.