When we look at a painting, listen to a piece of music, read a novel, or watch a movie we are taking in the artist's composition. The composition is the totality of the work.

A painting with a message does not happen by accident. It happens when you place elements in their order of importance.

All paintings are abstract ideas, not representations of a true reality.

The way we see is critical to understanding how others will read our compositions.

Put a symbol, or language of some sort, in a painting and it will be noticed by the viewer whether or not they can read that particular language.

All artists are illusionists of one kind or another.

Think of the centre of interest in a painting as you would read it in a novel or see it in a movie. The crisis or climax is that point when you simply can't put the book down or wouldn't dare leave the movie, for whatever reason.