Kathleen Munn says she has been continuously re-inventing her art since graduating as a Bachelor of Visual Arts in 1988. She showed many examples of her current art incarnation, explained some technique and shared her goal of creating works that exude serenity. She describes her works as landscapes that occupy “contemplative space”.

Unity (also known as harmony) is probably the most important concept when looking at art. It means that the elements of the   . artwork look as though they belong together. If the various elements of your work are not harmonious they will appear separate and unrelated and your work will lack unity.

Ways to achieve harmony: You need "agreement" between the elements of your work. Easy ways to effect this is with the use of repetition, variation, proximity and probably most importantly -continuation.

There are few of us who do not like others to look at our work. To attract attention we can catch the viewer's eye by the use of a focal point. This can use elements of your composition to direct the eye to one point, for example placement, contrast of colour, lines, size, shape, isolation, even arrows. Sometimes an artwork can contain secondary points of emphasis that have lesser value. Too many, though, will lead to visual confusion.

A focal point is not always necessary, look at many of Jackson Pollock's works. An allover pattern can create an atmosphere of ambiguity and puzzlement or create a mood.

To me one of the most important elements of composition is balance.

In assessing balance we always assume a central vertical axis.

This acts as the fulcrum on a seesaw, the two sides should achieve a sense of equilibrium. When equilibrium is not present, a feeling of unease or dissatisfaction results. At times this can be a useful tool to create tension. Symmetrical balance is the easiest to create but usually produces a static effect. Asymmetrical balance is much more common. It can be achieved by balancing with size, shape, texture, colour, importance, directing of the eye, and pattern. Crystallographic balance is an allover pattern.

A sense of rhythm in an artwork reflects a sense of movement. A repetition of shapes such as tree trunks or sand dunes can create a feeling of potential movement. Rhythm is a basic characteristic of nature and very much a part of our environment. Art and architecture often use alternating pattern and sequence.

Scale is essentially another word for size but we still need to reference it to some other object. For example a big dog means little if we do not know the size of an average dog. Proportion refers to relative size- size measured against other elements or against our mental standard of norm.

We can use scale and proportion for emphasis. Christ is often depicted as bigger than those around him. This is termed hieratic scaling. A contrast of scale can lead to surrealism as in Magritte's bedroom scenes where the comb is the height of the wall. Large and small scale can be combined for dramatic effect as in Degas dancers where a woman who is close watches dancers on stage. The Golden mean; width is to length as length is to length plus width, is Still used. This proportion is pleasing to our eye but also found in many growth patterns in nature.

It is not necessary to study the elements of composition to create satisfying artwork. Most of us understand them intuitively. But knowing a little about them can, I think, help us to share and discuss work with more ease.