What You Don't Paint
The Magic of Negative Space
The moment you start noticing negative space is a fascinating moment - when you start to see what's not really there. And once you see it, you can't unsee it.
Here's something that changed everything about how I approach painting: sometimes the most powerful part of a piece is what you deliberately choose NOT to paint.
Your Brain is the Co-Artist
Here's what I discovered: when you look at negative space, your brain doesn't see "empty." It sees mystery. Atmosphere. The suggestion of something just beyond what's visible.
Take Dame Hush, for example. All that darkness around her isn't just background - it's the night itself. The unknown. The space where anything could be hiding. Your imagination fills it with whatever makes the most sense to you.
Negative space lets you complete the artwork in your own mind.
The Technical Bit
(Without Getting Nerdy)
In black and white work, negative space becomes even more powerful because you can't rely on color to create depth or interest. Those dark areas have to work harder.
When I'm deciding what to paint and what to leave, I'm really asking: "What does this piece need to breathe? What needs to be suggested rather than stated?"
Sometimes the most honest thing you can do is know when to stop.
Why This Matters When You Live With Art
Here's the thing about negative space that sometimes you don't always realize, (I forget sometimes and have to stop myself from painting it in) it keeps revealing things. The longer you live with a piece that uses negative space well, the more you notice.
Maybe today you see the owl emerging from darkness. Next week you notice how that darkness seems to wrap around her like a protective cloak. A month from now, you might see something completely different in those shadows. Negative space makes art that grows with you instead of staying static.
The Intimacy Factor
There's something deeply personal about how your brain fills in negative space. What I see in those dark areas around Mischievous Miss might be completely different from what you see.
You're not just looking at my interpretation of a possum - you're collaborating with me to create the complete experience. The negative space becomes your creative contribution to the artwork. Every viewer completes the piece differently.
What It Does to a Room
Negative space in art has this interesting effect on the space around it too. Instead of filling up your wall with visual noise, pieces with strong negative space create breathing room. They give your eye somewhere to rest.
A piece like Nocturnally Yours doesn't compete with your furniture or your other artwork. That beautiful dark space around her actually makes everything else in the room feel more considered, more intentional. Negative space in art creates negative space in your life - the good kind.
The Confidence Factor
I am finding using negative space well requires a certain kind of artistic confidence. You have to trust that less can be more, and yes sometimes that can be challenging.
That suggestion can be more powerful than statement.
When I leave large areas unpainted, I'm essentially saying "this darkness is just as important as the light." I'm asking you to value the spaces between things, not just the things themselves. Negative space is an act of faith - in the artwork, and in the viewer.
Why It Works So Well with These Subjects
Australian nocturnal creatures practically demand negative space. They live in shadows, emerge from darkness, exist in the spaces between day and night.
When you paint a barn owl surrounded by vast darkness, you're not just showing what she looks like - you're showing what it feels like to encounter her. The mystery, the sudden appearance, the way she seems to materialize from nowhere.
The negative space becomes part of the creature's story.
What This Means for You
When you own a piece that uses negative space powerfully, you're not just buying a painting - you're buying a conversation between what's there and what's not. Between statement and suggestion. Between my vision and your imagination.
Those dark areas aren't empty spaces waiting to be filled. They're full spaces doing exactly what they're supposed to do.
Sometimes the most valuable real estate in a painting is the space where nothing happens - because that's where everything happens.
The next time you look at one of these pieces, pay attention to where your eye goes when it hits the negative space. That's your brain joining the creative process.
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Dame Hush Fine Art Print
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Frill Seeker Fine Art Print
From $69.75 Buy This Artwork This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page Current Collection
