by
Armand Cabrera
Midday Lone Pine Peak Oil on Linen 30 x 40
One of the things artists continually struggle with is the big picture. The big picture is getting the finished painting to stand as a complete thing in perfect balance with itself. When a painting has succeeded and stays true to its maker’s vision where nothing can be added or removed from it without making it less than it is.
To do this effectively an artist must play to their strengths being sure the idea is one we are capable of realizing. This idea is part of seeing and translating and painting things relative to each other. Everything in painting supports everything else so that together the structure, when completed with the right emphasis is more powerful than the sum of its individual parts.
To do this one must constantly keep track of the big picture. Our job as an artist is to orchestrate everything on the canvas to a satisfying conclusion for the viewer. This is why having an idea is so important. It is why seeing the finished painting in our minds eye helps us to reach that goal. Seeing the big picture is seeing the finished picture and letting go of everything that keeps us bogged down and distracted from achieving our goal.