conclusion

The goal of this book is to make pictorial composition simple to understand, remember and apply. The principal concept of this book, expressed in the ONE RULE OF COMPOSITION: Never make any two intervals the same was derived from my experience teaching. I was frustrated by my attempts to describe how principles of design (unity, variety, harmony, contrast) were applied to the elements of composition (line, shape, color).

The theory was just too complicated. The fact that I could never remember all the principles and elements without a written list was a clue that it was not practical. The students were frustrated because the theories seemed better suited to analyzing what went wrong after the painting was finished than for avoiding mistakes while painting.

I no longer remember when I first summed up composition in one sentence, but the ONE RULE OF COMPOSITION has successfully simplified both teaching and learning how to make a better composition immediately. The Rule of Thirds and the Mostly, some and a bit formula are both corollaries of the ONE RULE OF COMPOSITION. My experience has shown me that these three concepts are the most useful to painters standing in front of a fresh canvas or watercolor sheet who want to get the composition right from the start.

I encourage you to post the ONE RULE OF COMPOSITION in a prominent position in your studio. Once you begin finding ways to apply it to all intervals—not just to spacing and dimension, but to balance, tones on a value scale, and colors on the color wheel—you will discover how widely applicable the One RULE truly is.

If, after reading this book, all you remember is the seven words—Never make any two intervals the same or even just the Rule of Thirds or the Mostly, some and a bit formula—this book will have met its purpose and I will have achieved my goal.

Scene on West Fork Greg Albert 16" x 20" (41cm x 51cm) Acrylic on canvas