Monday, January 12, 2009

January 12, 2009

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Intriguing photo! I keep looking at it, trying to figure it out - like a piece of complex cloth. I love the strong vertical lines balanced by the blue green water to the upper left, the yellow to the bottom and the various black horizontal breaks. The intriguing part - the questioning - from what perspective was this photo taken? I keep wanting to turn it upside down - the water on top is puzzling,adding to the interest and desire to keep looking at the photo for additional clues.

Thanks jane for keep this blog. Along with the set site, it's starting to be a part of my daily routine.

Pat S

anna k. said...

Thank you for this blog Jane. it reminds me to open MY eyes to the world around me.
This photo is intriguing; i am unable to work out how it was taken. it's like an underwater photo, you captured that feeling of a water ceiling that i've experienced when scuba diving.
Anna K.

Jackie said...

Oh, my! Intriguing! Mystifying and fascinating! Can you give clues? Is the water a reflection? I don't think so because some the pipes are in water. You inverted the image, didn't you? Goodness, you mean we can do that? Another heady taste of artistic license! Great fun!

Jane Dunnewold said...

I thought it would be fun to introduce some mystery into the mix! But quick eyes and inquiring minds have figured it out. I cropped a neat photo of these bridge supports and the reflections and then realized I COULD FLIP it! Wow. How great to be a grown up in command of my own interior life and choices!

Jackie said...

Isn't it great to play?!!!

Wil said...

A wonderful picture!

Anonymous said...

Good stuff, Jane. :) Thank you for this. I'll be checking back often. Hugs, Eileen

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