All Things Fine Art

I’ve heard students say they would “never work on a square format because it’s too hard”.  Well, it may be a tad different from elongated formats, but there are ways to make it manageable.  Sometimes it’s virtually a matter of how we see things (or don’t) that throws us off. We humans have two eyes set wide apart and therefore we have peripheral vision. We might think of the square format as seeing without our peripheral advantage.

"Clementine's", 6x6", oil on Raymar panel. Available: $175

For someone who is unfamiliar working with square formats I think the easiest way to get started is to use a square viewfinder.  Just the simple act of looking at subject matter in this way opens up new ways of seeing.  As in most motifs, it is easiest to discover what one can and cannot do with a subject by going back to the basics.  For this reason, I recommend looking at intimate subjects, not vistas.  Keep the subjects simple. You’ll find that some subjects lend themselves well to the square and others clearly do not.  It’s all in the process of learning. But first, you must begin to look for possibilities.

Two square viewfinders, one bought and the other made 2" square in a sheet of Foamcore.

With all four sides of a square being equal it is imperative that some imbalance be created in the composition to make the painting interesting.  The key is how do we do that.  In “Clementine’s”, I arranged the oranges in a triangle (different from the square) then tilted one a bit on its side to add interest.  In this case, I  focused solely on one compositional rule in cropping the subject with the viewfinder and that was to consider making all four sides and corners of my format different. It was as easy as that.

Like any other artist I like to  explore  and in doing so have to step out of my comfort zone.  In the act of experimentation we become a novice all over again. Once we leave our familiar “box” we are all equal  in lack of skill.  Consider it an adventure and don’t be afraid.  Step out of your box and try something new…try painting a square format….it s fodder for the creative spirit.