I am a landscape painter juxtaposing color in pastel to create the illusion of light.

Heading Towards the Barn 6x8

Pastel over watercolor Plein air August 2021

This painting is a perfect example of the power of suggestion and how the viewers eye will automatically assume something that is not actually there. Our brains trick us into believing something out of a few dots and dashes of color. Artists use this technique all the time, if you are looking at the painting above you assume there are cows heading home towards the barn. But take a close look at what little information I gave you to reach that conclusion. Just a few well placed dots and dashes of color. 

Less is definitely best!

Granted this is a small painting and I am an impressionist plein air painter, but even if I choose to enlarge this painting idea to a big painting, I would still use dots and dashes to suggest the cows. There is a mystery and allure to suggest something impressionistically  rather than state something realistically. That is the power of suggestion and which drives me to paint less to say more.