Creating Petite Compositions

I first began painting petites as small studies, to prepare and organize my thoughts before starting on a larger painting. The key to my “loose” and painterly style of Open Impressionism is to plan, plan, plan. The clearer the painting is in my mind before I pick up a brush, the more direct and un-muddied my work turns out.

After some years of painting these little studies, I realized that I often loved these little sketches better than the finished piece. The little petites were turning out the way I wished my larger-scale works would look.

Naturally, I had to investigate why. What was I doing differently in these small works compared to my larger paintings?

A few hundred paintings later, I had the answer: with a small study, I focused on just a few elements from a complicated landscape, making the composition all about a focused, deliberate communication of the scene.

For example, the petite sketch might focus on just a few artistic curves of a tree branch, or just a couple of saguaro cacti with an epic sky as the background, or just a few wildflowers artistically arranged in the grass.

With fewer elements in the composition, it was more important that each piece was there for a reason, not simply to fill up space. Since I was only painting a few branches from the tree, for example, I had to make each branch really count, make each branch as interesting and unique as possible, with compelling negative spaces between each grouping of leaves.

I also realized that, because I never expected anyone else to see my sketches, I painted them with a certain joie de vivre. I wasn’t concerned with making the sketch perfect, and therefore it turned out beautifully natural and raw, untamed yet elegant in its un-criticized perfection.

Eventually, I decided to apply the same energy and attention to petites that I did to my larger works. And so, the “petite collection” was born, culminating in my first annual “Petite Show” in 2018.

Creating petite paintings has taught me a great deal about composition. I have learned the importance of having enough color and value contrast and rhythm to keep the eye moving through the scene. I’ve learned to simplify my view of the world, making deliberate choices about what to include and what to leave out. And I’ve discovered that if a composition doesn’t work on a 10-inch painting, it won’t work on a 60-inch one either.

Another thing I love about petites is that they allow me to experiment and tackle compositional challenges on a smaller scale, trying out new approaches to color and light that I might feel less confident about in a larger work. I’ve experimented with different underpainting colors, with challenging landscape arrangements—like narrow verticals—and with limiting my palette to just three colors instead of five. I’ve tried new methods for painting snow, nighttime scenes, clouds, and water reflections, for example.

Each time I complete a series of petites, I come out a stronger artist, producing work that’s even truer to my vision of the world.

My annual Petite Show is coming up on December 14th, 2024. During this show, you will get a chance to enjoy many of the small works I have been painting throughout the year. If you can make it to my Oregon Gallery on December 14th, I would love to see you! If not, please feel free to enjoy the small works here.