* A LITTLE BIT OF THEORY - 1

LET'S START WITH THE BASICS


Before we start, I’d like to explain a few basics.

This blog begins with a summary of the points I give to guests who come to La Petite Galerie in southwest France on art holidays.

Please remember that it is by no means definitive – rather it is a broad ranging sweep across the vast area of art theory in the hope that we can arrive at a common language. This will help us to talk fluently about the basic elements of painting and drawing.

Please also bear in mind that it is a personal summary. This means that I emphasise and focus on points that I believe are important. You may have other ideas, so I apologise in advance for what you may feel are errors of omission.

Art theory can be a very complex subject, but I hope we can distill down a few complex issues into key points to keep in mind when you are involved in picture making.

These key points are not intended to be used as a formula, but try to think about the ones that interest you most and use them whenever and wherever possible. You will be surprised at how easy it is.

Finally, don’t feel intimidated if you don’t understand some of the theory – or if you forget the technical terms. Just talk about art as you would about any everyday subject.

In case you're wondering, that's a pigeonnier in the water colour at the top of the page. It belongs to Patti and Lee from Florida , USA.