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It’s all about Intelligent Composition (Page 6 of 6)
There are so many hints and tips that I could tell you – but space has almost come to an end. Let’s just take a quick look at ‘integration’. Your main subject needs to be part of the scene. See here in ‘Quacosa de Vecchio, Qualcossa de Nuovo’ how this gentle hollyhock looks part of the scene. It does not have the look of a ‘cut-out’. I have created this impression in the final stages. When the flowers were complete, as was the background, I layed in a final glaze/wash of transparent background colour and brought it up and over, onto the petals. This softened the edges and gives the impression that the background colour is softly bouncing onto the petals – tying them in and making them part of the scene. In paintings with a darker background you can use the same principal but in that case you would create lost and found edges as the edges of the petals melded into the shadowy depths. It is magical how these things create a naturalistic realism that breaths life into a painting. You can create all of this too – it’s all about observation, observation, observation, emphasise, emphasise, emphasise and lets not forget that most important: intelligent composition! Remember what we want is ‘meaning’ – a reason for being. Create a story – paint silent poetry. You don’t want to just paint the skin of a person – you want to paint the character! We want ‘soul’ – not just a good rendering. You see – even the words ‘good rendering’ sound bland now - don’t they! I wish you all well with your creations. My philosophy is “Paint from your heart and you will fly”! Happy Painting! - Susan
The essence of Susan's work is the "presence" and reality she creates with each painting. Susan paints intuitively. Her style is described as "naturalistic realism". Largely self-taught, Susan loves to push the preconceived boundaries and limitations usually related to watercolour and other mediums - to explore gentle, delicate and soft translucent hues, she also loves to explore deep translucent hues such as those used by the Old Masters. The combination of these give a realism and a "soul" to Susan's highly sought-after work.
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‘Quacosa de Vecchio, Qualcossa de Nuovo’
Susan Harrison-Tustain has had a long and successful fine-art career in watercolor florals, still life and character studies. Her best-selling book "Glorious Garden Flowers in Watercolor" (Northlight Books, Cincinnati, Ohio), along with her videos, limited edition prints and sell-out exhibitions, have proven her popularity with the international public.
Susan's work has been published in many national and international magazines, including 12 covers for the New Zealand Gardener magazine and major cover features for the Australian Artist, International Artist and International Décor magazines. Susan and her work have featured in numerous television, book and radio interviews and she is a highly sought-after watercolor-workshop tutor.