“Passing Storm” this storm came up quick and really darkened the sky, I did a demonstration to show how to paint a really expressive sky with multiple layers of color and using a very active brush.
Today’s class was all about composition, the goal was to take one subject and try to create four different compositions, making the shapes work within the formats or shapes that the we chose. First we taped the paper into four different sizes which gave us the different formats, then when arranged our subject matter in unique ways to make a composition that was related to the shapes of our paper. It was important to make proportion some pieces in different sizes in order to make the compositions work. 
18 x 24 block it is much easier to do this exercise on larger paper.
I’ve made the shapes really large within the shape of the paper, working within a square shape is one of my favorite compositional formats.
In this composition I added much more of the foreground, which would have been very cumbersome in the first example
By building up the weeds in the foreground I have really focused the painting, making the center of interest clearly defined.
Give this exercise a go at home, you can use any subject matter that you feel comfortable drawing multiple times. It will help you with creating your own compositions, which is the heart of good painting. Let me know how it goes.
I’m really enjoying seeing your workshop paintings. They have such a fresh look to them. Wish I were there! When are you next offering workshops in Virginia?
Thanks,
Peg S.
This is a great idea – four compositions of same subject. Would enjoy another workshop or class series with you. Cheers.