Juanita Bellavance, Meandering, 2020, Acrylic on paper, 10 x 7 inches, unframed.

How to see contrast when it is ever so subtle.  I wanted to keep the shapes in this work close in value so there is very little contrast.  If you squint you can see a large medium-dark shape and a few light shapes.  But when viewing with open eyes it's clear there is more than one shape in the medium-dark area.  I used cool and warm temperatures for the difference.  Sometimes when I look back at a painting after a period of time, I marvel at what transpired.  I sometimes wonder how it came to be even though I'm the vessel that brought it into being.  I credit my subconscious inner spiritual sense for the result. Which do you prefer? High contrast or subtle contrast?