Timeless Design:
Reviewing Impulses by Dennis Dodson

Impulses  by Dennis Dodson

A Master Class in Design

He’s inspired by nature.

I recently reconnected with Dodson to venture into his studio, background, and influences. Dodson enjoys spending time in nature. From rock formations to open waters, he transforms the beauty he encounters into fine art.

But he doesn’t like green.

Despite nature’s influence, Dodson doesn’t like green. Removing green from nature reveals a palette filled with earth tones, neutral colors, natural blues, and carefully selected warm notes.

He makes visual music.

Dodson compares art to music. Design elements and principles are his instruments and notes. His paintings are classic compositions made to move us. He composes over long periods of time, layering and improvising until the song is complete.

Additional Pieces

From left to right: Calloway, Crossroads, Metropolis 
Images Courtesy of Gallery D

It’s captivating.

Impulses is fascinating to look at. The eyes explore the canvas stopping at bursts of texture, dashing brushstrokes, and discrete pops of color along the way.

It’s got personality.

Impulses immerses you in its lifelike energy. Its commanding presence is felt in a room while not dominating it. Its façade is subtle & serene, but its spirit is intense & lively.

It makes you see things.

Impulses finds our subconscious and brings it in front of us. Everyone sees something different. It’s revealed galaxies, baseball diamonds, continents, and even lovers.

Impulses by Dennis Dodson (Warm Light)

It’s a difficult color scheme.

Brown is a great side dish but a bland main course – and rarely served as one. That’s because it’s boring. Look through Abstract Magazine (IG: @abstract.mag) and you’ll see bold reds, blues, and oranges bouncing off white and black – not brown. Yet Impulses makes brown captivating through a scheme of earth tones and neutral colors.

Colors & brushstrokes bring it to life.

Colors & arrangement create unity.

Unity brings paintings together. Without unity pieces feel scattered. In Impulses, a subtle beige covers the outside of the canvas. Occasionally, it comes to the center and mixes with the bolder colors. The bolder colors blend with the beige and unite the canvas.

Contrast is intriguing, but balance is comforting.

Contrast makes Impulses interesting. Balance gives it harmony. Both are achieved by enlarging subtle elements while shrinking prominent contrasting ones. Subtle elements need size to be felt. Prominent ones don’t. The approach equalizes their presence, creating both contrast and balance. Impulses executes the technique with texture and color.

You can feel the canvas in a room.

Impulses is big and square. At 16sqft (4ft x 4ft), it’s larger than most. Also, squares have a stronger presence than the more popular rectangle. Rectangles fit most spaces. They complement rooms but do not dominate them. But squares are uncompromising and controlling. A large square canvas will naturally attempt to own the room. With Impulses, that urge is countered by the passive color scheme – resulting in the best of both.

Squares encourage exploration.

Rectangles guide our eyes left and right when horizontal or up and down when vertical. Yet squares don’t guide us at all. We can explore in countless directions – starting and ending anywhere. Furthermore, the square gives Dodson the freedom to guide our eyes with swiping brushstrokes and eye-catching contrast.

Impulses by Dennis Dodson (Warm Light)