Consistently Consistent

A gallery recently rejected two of my paintings, and the owner said it's because my work is too consistent with not enough variation. I know I do that. I have a tendency to make things look even, balanced and the same all over. I consciously try not to, but I can't help myself, and I do it anyway! I find it interesting that the gallery owner picked up on it immediately and rejected my work because of it. She also doesn't like the dot pattern that I sometimes use, but I don't know what to say about that. Liking or disliking dots may be a personal preference. Damien Hirst has certainly done well with dots.

I was wondering why we need to fight our natural inclinations. If my impulse is to make things look consistent, why not go for it? What exactly is wrong with consistency, anyway? Is is a cultural bias? Do Americans prefer inconsistency and variation? Is consistency out of style right now? Or is consistency universally distasteful?

Isn't consistency calming and meditative, while variation is dynamic and exciting? Is there something intrinsically unattractive about work that is calming and meditative? Perhaps it becomes boring to the eye.

These are the two paintings that were rejected. What do you think? Are they consistent in an unattractive way?

"On a Wing," diptych 52" x 40", acrylic on canvas:



"Winter," 36" x 48", acrylic on canvas: