Soft Edges

The terms hard edges and soft edges are used to describe two different ways in
which objects can be painted. A hard edge is the term used when the edge of an
object is painted in a definite way. There’s a strong sense of where the object ends.
A soft edge is when it is painted so that it disappears or fades into the background.
Typically, hard edges advance, and soft edges recede. A third type of edge is “lost”
edges, they are soft edges on steroids, so “soft” that you cannot distinguish.
between where one shape stops, and the adjacent one begins. Artist Cindy Beyer’s
watercolor painting, “Purple People Pleasers,” incorporates all these elements
beautifully. Crisply painted green stems pop from the brightly backlit background,
surrounded by an explosion of purple vibrance ebbing and flowing dramatically. As
Cindy says, “Watercolor is the perfect medium for our theme “Soft Edges.” It is the
only paint that has a life of its own, where there is water, it flows (with a little from
me).