The 70/30 rule in art is a compositional and process guideline that can be interpreted in two main ways: as a time allocation for creative workflow or as a balance of visual elements within a piece. The time-based interpretation suggests spending 70% of the time on planning, sketching, and problem-solving, and 30% on execution and detailing. The visual interpretation advises a balance where 70% of the artwork is the dominant, less detailed area, and 30% is the dominant focal point with more detail and visual interest.
I endorse this percentage for those who are detail-oriented and have a passion to articulate their vision to the ne plus ultra! But I am not that guy. I will do everything out of order or all at the same time. I Sketch, Sketch, Sketch, then I break, break, break, and I spend 80% of my time fixing what I broke. “After climbing up that mountain,” it is then that I realize the original broken version 1.0 was the best version of all. So I revert to that version and, with renewed interest, I spend days working on the final version, coloring it, and then completing it.
Finishing a painting is quite an elevated feeling. Lucien Freud said something along the lines of that he knows when a painting is completed if it looks like somebody else did it. As for me, that feeling is mutual. After admiring the work for about 2 weeks or so, I want to go back to it and add to the environment as if I were an explorer. Then I call it a series, and I start another version. Here are two “aliterations” of the Precipice Series below. I was so excited with the first, I wanted to experience more of the “space.” A third is coming — more fog, maybe snow — because I want to keep stepping into that space and see what awaits past the next ridge. Call it serendipity or stubborn imagination — I paint because I’m curious what comes next.
Precipice series: Precipice & Fog 40” x 30”
Precipice Series: Precipice & Ice 40” x 60”