The Golden Mean

The artists of the Renaissance had a mathematical theory about where to place the focal point of a painting.  They called it the Golden Mean.

It's a rather complicated theory, if you ask me.  So other modern teachers reduce it to placing the focal point on the thirds:  a third of the way from an edge of the paper or canvas.

Then the problem becomes one of balance.  In this painting of Cuckold's Light House just off Southport Island near Boothbay Harbor,  the center of interest is the lighthouse.  I've dutifully placed it on the thirds.  I balanced the small man-made structure with the larger foreground rocks.  

The color of the roof also attracts attention.  

Composition is an important element in arranging the objects or focal points in a painting.