Old Iris Painting, new thoughts on composition

In 1986, I made this watercolour of a blue iris called "Victoria Falls". I wish I'd known more about composition at the time.

Here are some first principles I could have applied then (source: Michael John Angel's Pictoral Composition article on www.artrenewal.org)
-- a figurative element (even a flower) looks better when placed slightly-off centre
-- all things equal, the eye will go to the centre, or to that area of greatest contrast closest to the centre
-- the eye has a tendency to rise: when two elements are placed one above the other, the eye will eventually rise to the upper one.
-- elements need to be arranged in a comprehensible order, with a dominant element and secondary/tertiary elements ancillary to it.
-- there needs to be unity and variety. Unity (sameness) gives character; Variety (contrast) gives vivacity and life.
-- an anomaly (like a stray branch or flower) can call out to the viewer for attention, but if it's not the main focus, then it needs to be balanced with more anomalies placed around the dominant element. When the repetitions of the anomaly balance the dominant element(s), counterpoint results.
-- pure symmetry becomes boring in a small painting. Elements can be arranged asymmetrically, but balance is important -- lack of equilibrium makes us uncomfortable.
-- Asymmetrical symmetry is the most interesting form of arrangement whereby, for example, you can have a dominant element sitting on the vertical centre line and flanked by the same number of elements on each side, only arranged differently for variation (think of each side of a maple leaf).



So what would I do differently now? Make the central flower larger. Shrink the lower flowers and make them different sizes, placed at different heights, and use the bud as the equilizer (the balancer on a see-saw).