Can a painting be too simple?

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.

Leonardo Da Vinci

Simplicity and repose are the qualities that measure the true value of any work of art.

Frank Lloyd Wright

The art of simplicity is a puzzle of complexity.

Doug Horton

I often start my paintings with a lot of scribbling and energy, covering the panel with marks to respond to and eventually, cover up. While this helps me avoid the dreaded ‘blank canvas’, these early marks are rarely seen by the viewer of the final painting.

The ‘covering up’ part is harder than it sounds.

Creating simple from complex requires learning how to edit. Which elements can fade into the background? Which need to be emphasized? Which should be completely covered over? Often the bits we love the most make these decisions even more difficult. What if I ruin it? Will I ever be able to create that exquisite mark or effect again?

Artists that I’ve learned from and follow on social media all seem to like to create many, many layers of paint before simplifying. The prevailing thought being that a painting that’s too ‘thin’, without enough ‘depth’, or with canvas exposed can’t possibly be finished.

(Aside; where do these ideas originate? Why do we believe them to be true?)

Ironically, at the same time, many of us are craving less noise and busy in our work (and lives!) and striving towards more peace, calm and minimalism. I’m often most attracted to paintings that have lots of ‘breathing space’. A place for the eye to rest when it needs to take a break from the ‘active’ areas of the piece. Yet creating these spaces often requires covering over some of the more energetic parts of the painting.

A bit of a conundrum, right?

Lately, I’ve been thinking about the following questions;

• What if we simplified from the very beginning?
• Is a painting without many, many layers enough?
• Can we cut right to the chase of simplification and leave those middle layers out?
• What do those middle layers add to the painting?
• And if we’re craving some quiet spaces in our work, can we establish those from the beginning and let them remain that way all the way to the finish line?

I got so many lovely comments about the paintings I released last month as part of my on-going ‘Side/Walks’ series (you can see all the paintings by clicking here).

As these were purposeful attempts to make ‘simpler’ paintings (that is, those without so many layers to cover up and excavate back through), your feedback tells me that I’m on the right track.

Thank you for that!

And now a question for you…

If you’re an artist, do you struggle with simplifying your work?

If you’re a lover of art, are you drawn to paintings that are simpler or more complex?

Please share your thoughts as a Comment below. Let’s continue the conversation!