The Woods and its Mysteries

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What is the absolute minimum to suggest something? Very, very little. The human brain and eye can quickly discern and complete the details. It is more enriching - leaving the mystery to be solved by the viewer rather than showing every detail. In a few seconds, the  viewer has completed what is implied and suggested - the missing parts of the puzzle - and in that process, has become involved with the creation of the painting. Like a camaraderie with the artist: I'll tell you so much; you figure out the rest. The viewer brings their conditioning, their memories, their culture and values, and their emotions as they complete the missing pieces - in that moment in time. In another moment, they might derive different things from the work of art. All the better - the viewer is fully involved and it becomes a rich experience rather than a fleeting glimpse of objects that leave little to the imagination. They are not just a passive viewer.
And I, too, learn something as I leave something out.

I am learning to simply suggest rather than paint everything....slowly getting there.

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