Tuesday, December 9, 2008

December 9, 2008

In a recent design class we talked about the focal point as the door into the picture world. Figuring out where the focal point is, is actually easy. It's the place your eye goes first. That's why we think of it as a door. In this picture, the man is the focal point because he is the largest element, but also because his orange sweater is bright and attracts our eyes immediately. The fact that there is a human being in the picture adds to the importance of the design element, because humans can't help but look at other humans first.

Once viewers get inside the picture world, the goal of the artist or maker is to keep us there, exploring. One way to do it is to balance the focal point with other design elements. They may contrast with a focal point's qualities, or they may build relationship, which contributes to the overall cohesiveness of the composition. 

In this picture, the blue bag contrasts with the orange sweater because the colors are complementary. This neatly provides contrast, while also building relationship. The position of the bag at the bottom of the composition adds weight visually, which is useful. 

The position of the man, the pigeon at the end of the bench, and the cement block wall send an emotional message, but different viewers will interpret the message different ways. Is he lonely? Is he resting but contented? Is he impatiently waiting for someone? As human beings we can't help but project our own state of mind onto a composition. This is one aspect of art that lends interest. It is an aspect the maker cannot control. Neither should she want to do so! Every viewer has a right to his or her own interpretation. 

2 comments:

Fay's Fun said...

I love this photo - it tugs at my heart, both subject wise, possible story wise, but most of all the beautiful colour variations of brown and black(greys), with just blue and orange added.
This one could hang on my wall.
:-]]]]]]]]
Fay

jpsam said...

The curved element of the bench is a wonderful line in this composition.

I've been checking your daily offerings but this is my first comment.

Thanks so much,Jane, for sharing your process.
joan

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