How does color set a mood? The soft gray and white of the carpet, the cat Marshall, and the sunlit window contribute to to the sense of calm repose. What does blue mean to you or me? We all have symbolic associations for colors; some based on personal experience and some instilled culturally.
The cobalt blue of the vase provides a point and counterpoint to the composition, in addition to providing elements that balance.
Keeping the cat in the lower third of the composition weights the image and is another visual door into the picture world.
November 19, 2008
November 19, 2008
This picture tells several stories. It references the human desire to order the world around us - the lettering on the wall establishes the alley as a No Parking zone, and the broken glass- jutting out at the top - is another message of fear and frailty. Whoever lives behind this wall wants to be left alone.
But there is beauty in the contrast of the rough brick surface and the smooth translucency of the broken glass bottles. A contrast of textures makes for an interesting composition. And the abstract nature of the printed letters against the structure of the bricks would be worth emulating in another sort of composition.
There is as much beauty in decay as there is in a bouquet of fresh flowers. And aren't decay and fresh growth just two different spots on the same continuum?
November 18, 2008
November 18, 2008
The Hydrangeas offer a lesson in the effective use of color. The pale blue and lavender are roughly the same value, so they balance each other beautifully. I am challenged to mimic that combination of analogous colors on silk Habotai!
This photograph would be considered beautiful even without the red-orange and yellow flowers at the bottom. But the addition of the complements to the blue and purple creates a focal point and generates some nice contrast because of the complementary pairing. And imagine how different this composition would be, were the red-orange and yellow at the top instead of at the bottom. The current placement adds important visual weight.
November 17, 2008
November 16, 2008
Being and Non-being
Substance and Light
November 16, 2008
We join spokes together in a wheel,
but it is the center hole
that makes the wagon move.
We shape clay into a pot,
but it is the emptiness inside
that holds whatever we want.
We hammer wood for a house,
but it is the space inside
that holds whatever we want.
We work with being,
but non-being is what we use.
Tao te Ching; Verse 11
Stephen Mitchell translation
A Daily Practice
On November 10, 2008, I committed to a year-long photo-journaling practice. As an artist, I believe it is valuable to spend time every day looking at the world around me. To this end, I committed to posting a daily photograph and a few thoughts when applicable - on color, design, spirit and making. While this is primarily a witness to processes that help me go deeper into my own art-making, it is also a practice worth sharing. I invite you to comment, if you are moved to do so. And thanks for joining in!
Prints from Daily Visuals
PRINTS FROM SOME OF THE DAILY VISUALS POSTS ARE NOW AVAILABLE FOR SALE ON MY WEBSITE. CHECK COMPLEXCLOTH.COM, OR WRITE TO ME IF THERE IS A PARTICULAR IMAGE YOU WOULD LIKE.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE INTEREST AND REQUESTS.
I am a professional artist and teacher, the author of "Art Cloth: A Guide to Surface Design on Fabric" (Interweave 2010) and several other self-published books. I teach internationally and maintain Art Cloth Studios in San Antonio, Texas, and am President of the international Surface Design Association.
My passions include the psychology of artistry and meaning - and I am especially interested in "writing" and "making" as integral aspects of the creative process. You can read more about my work and see other inspiring images by visiting my website - complexcloth.com.
As an artist and teacher I am committed to the concept of practice. No matter what interests you, improving is almost guaranteed if you choose to spend time engaged by your topic. It's true of riding a bicycle, learning to cook, or painting on canvas. Maybe a few of us have a genius streak that allows talent to roll out fully formed, but most of us have to work at it.
I'm a better teacher now that I've been doing it awhile. And I think most of my students get better at whatever they've chosen as their focus if they put regular time and energy into what we often refer to as mastery.
November is a fallow time of year. The teaching cycle ends because everyone's focus is on the holidays and nobody signs up for classes. The weather - even in Texas - cools, and shifts as we move toward a few months of lower temperatures. Elections come and go, and when we are lucky, we have a renewed sense of hope and change and optimism about the future.
November is usually the time of year when I begin new journaling projects. It feels right to slow, and spend some time contemplating the year's end. I brainstorm new projects and directions my work could take. I evaluate successes and also failures; which are inevitable if you are living a human and imperfect life. I resolve to do better.
This year I am drawn to the practice of posting a photograph every morning. I've been to Australia and Canada and across the USA from coast to coast in 2008. For the first time I've recorded the world around me. When I get home, I download images and sometimes abstract them. I like the unexpected juxtapositions. The angles and perspectives this process affords. Perhaps these images will find their way into, or onto, my art cloth, but my only real goal is regular posting and reflecting - which I believe will encourage me to see the world with fresh eyes.
Please join me. I hope that through the sharing of a visual image we can also share thoughts on art and life, spirit and seeing.
2 comments:
WOW! A wonderful photograph...one can get lost in the peacefulness and solitude it portrays. And the quote from Thoreau...so true! Thank you!
Wonderful photo of a beatiful spot.
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