This business about not being 'qualified' to comment unless you know about art and/or colour theory really bothers me!

There is no such thing as a universal set of rules about how colours should be combined, nor about how images should be composed. All that theory stuff is just that: theory. It's sets of ideas that people have come up with to try to explain why some things seem to work and others don't.

None of these systems is carved in stone; they should be for guidence, not blind obedience. You think Picasso or Van Gogh were following the then accepted rules of composition and colour? It's much, much more important to think about what you're creating and why it has the effects on you that it does than to try to conform to other people's rationalisations about what constitutes good art. Come up with your own colour and composition theories.

Carol Walske (who knew a lot about art theory) commented to me about some of my images, that she didn't know (compositionally) why they worked - they shouldn't, but they did - and that's what she found particularly interesting about them. For the same reason, I find Eveline's (fractalchemist's) colour combinations fascinating: I look at them and wonder why I like them, when they seem to conflict with lots of my ideas about colour.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that if you like something or don't like something, try to work out why. It will help you become better at creating things in future. If reading all that theory stuff helps you to do this, great! But don't read the theory with the idea that unless you abide by it your images will 'fail'.

In terms of commenting on other people's work, if you can say why you do or don't like something, that's every bit as valuable as knowing the accepted art theory.

Have confidence in your own opinions.

Anyway, off my soapbox now, and back out into real life.

:-)

Best wishes,
Simon.