Tuesday, December 16, 2008

December 19, 2008

The traditional green and red colors we associate with the Christmas holiday season are my least favorite colors. Having written this, I wonder how can anyone dislike a color? Colors, like flowers, just are. Does anyone ever think I don't like the sun or The moon really bothers me.? How peculiar we are, to form preferences for colors and flowers and other elements of the natural world. Human beings love to form opinions.

So red/green is my least favorite complementary color combination. Acknowledging my prejudice has challenged me to spend a few days studying red and green combinations that work. If I can photograph some images I like, maybe my appreciation will shift.

This image doesn't include red, but the green is a good start. This monochromatic study features a gorgeous range of green colors, supported by interesting lines - the contrast of the straight veins in the leaves, with the undulating edge of the individual leaves. I'd love to see it interpreted in cloth.

2 comments:

Jackie said...

Dear Jane,
I just found your blog--what a delight! The shapes and colors and lines and.. and..and.. There's so much to see in this incredible world. I am sometimes overwhelmed by the vastness, but your focus on smaller bits suits me very well. I'll be checking in every day. Thanks for the great shots!

Jane Dunnewold said...

You are very welcome. Thanks for the input, Jackie.

November 20, 2008

November 20, 2008

November 20, 2008

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

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

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 17, 2008

November 16, 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