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John,
To me composition is made up of two main ingredients: the shapes of those things which are being portrayed, with their relationship to each other, and the light which falls upon them.
When these things are well considered some of the other very important aspects begin to fall into place, like values, edges and focus, which can all be a byproduct of good arrangement and good light.
These things are exemplified in the figures, and especially the still lifes above. Each of the figurines and objects is lit and shadowed in their own right. There is little difference in this set up and the set up for a portrait of a live person.
These exercises in "real space," I think are the backbone of a successful portrait. To often we try to piece things together after the fact, create the design as we go. When we proceed in this manner much of the essence of space, light, shadow and atmosphere are not carried forward, mostly because it was never there to begin with.
I would be very surprised if Mr. Pushman painted from anything less than the full set up that we see above, laid out with perfect lighting and all the atmosphere (real space) that now comes through. No matter how you proceed to paint, no matter your method, the set up that preceeds it is the same.
My Past Dreams 21x16 oil on panel
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Mike McCarty
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