Contents Introduction 1 The Forest and the Trees The Poetry of Simplification The Rigorously Shape-Oriented Style Shapes and Planes Demonstration: The Art of Implication Exercise: 10 Shapes or Fewer Exercise: Combining Shapes Demonstration: Simplifying with a Three-Value Study 2 The Power of Variation Key Concept: Aspects of Variation Key Concept: Notan Exercise: Variation through Abstract Notan Key Concept: The Picture Window Exercise: Variation in Representational Notan All Shapes, Great and Small "Meaningful" Contrast 3 The Spatial Stage Volume, Scale, and Overlap Perspective: An Overview Atmospheric Perspective Linear Perspective Tactile Perspective The Power of Edges Edge Variability The Relativity of Edges How Value and Color Contrasts Affect the Appearance of Edges Edges: Creative Translation, Not Direct Transcription Choose Your Edge--Hard versus Soft Using Edges to Control Focus Using Edges to Imply Depth Using Edges to Step Through the Spatial Stage Lost and Found Edges The Spatial Properties of Color Exercise: Perceiving the Illusion Exploring Ambiguous Space Demonstration: Transparency to Opacity Demonstration: Spatial Repair 4 The Power of Color Temperature Understanding Temperature Temperature: A Relative Affair Temperature: An Aspect of Color Contrast Temperature: A Global Form of Contrast Temperature Differences, Great and Small Four Temperature Analyses Exercise: Building Temperature Sensitivity Key Concept: The Temperature-Driven Palette Exercise: Temperature-Based Painting 5 Color Dominance Key Concept: Color Grouping The Benefits of Color Dominance Demonstration: With and Without Color Dominance Dominance by Proportion Dominance Through Hue Integration In Practice: Eleinne Basa's Snow Moon Dominance in Action 6 Day and Night Value and Color: The Twin Forces of Light Day How Value Affects Hue Identity Leading with Value Contrast Leading with Color Interaction Saturated Color as a Substitute for Light Balancing Value and Color Interaction Daylight Painting Considerations Night Managing Value and Color Contrast in Nocturnal Light Frederick Remington: Blue and Green Makes Night Demonstration: Day into Night Nocturne Color Considerations Between Day and Night Twilight Sunrise/Sunset 7 Beyond Observational Color Key Concept: Color Evolution Direct Observation Informed Modification Interpretive Color Exercise: Color Transposition Beyond: Plein Air Beyond: In the Studio 8 Cultivating an Abstract Aesthetic What Makes a Painting Abstract? Inducing Abstraction Ultra-Simplification Expressive and/or Textural Mark-Making Expressive Use of Color Abstraction and Vision Demonstration: Representational to Abstract Abstraction and Flatness Abstracting in Series In Practice: Mitchell Albala In Practice: Vahe Yeremyan Resources Contributing Artists Acknowledgments About the Author Index.