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What to do with the background?
A QUESTION FROM A READER:
Do you begin with the background or paint from the main images outward, ending with a background that is compatible with the subject matter in some way?
ANSWER:
The background is an integral part the painting and should be planned rather than an after-thought. Bring the whole painting up together, working all around the painting, so you can judge how the the values and colors relate to the rest.
I took a workshop from Ted Goerschner in California. Ted was critiquing a painting of a white-faced cow standing in a light-colored field. The cow was meant to be the focus of the painting, but there was no contrast to attract the eye. Ted turned to us and said -- "The background exists to make the middle ground look good" and added a dark shrub behind the cow which made its face stand out -- making all the difference. Regardless of whether there really was a dark bush in the field, Ted knew the painting needed it.
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