Receding Space

There are several ways to make space appear to recede in a painting.

1.  Size  --  Larger sizes in front, middle sizes in the mid-ground, and smaller sizes in the far distance.

2.  Color  -- Brighter purer colors in the foreground, more neutral colors in the far ground.  Warm colors up front, color hues in the distance

3.  Textures  -- Textures in the foreground, few or no details in the background areas. 

4.  Edge Quality  -  Hard edges in front, softer edges in the distance.

5.  Perspective -- Lines that recede to the vanishing point.

6.  Values  --  Darker values in the foreground, midtone and lighter values reserved for the far distance.

A lot to think about, to be sure, but better to think about it and get the feeling of three dimentional space.