Beginning a New Project Combining Abstraction and Realism.
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Recently I decided to self-publish some of my poetry, and to illustrate it with about ten images.
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For this project, I decided to continue with the abstract work I have been pursuing for the past year and a half, using the same process of layering different textures etc. over each other.
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I have proceeded with this process to come up with about 35 different textured abstract images that imply an ethereal impression, which suggest figures, natural animals, insects, and other fanciful creatures to me. Using one such abstract “background” I plan to draw over it with layout paper, and create detailed scenes which these creatures inhabit.
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The drawings will be in pen & ink, and colored pencil. They will be drawn in a montage style. Ideally they will emphasize areas which will balance the composition. Once the figurative drawings are scanned into the computer, they will be layered over the composition and treated in the same manner as the abstract work I have previously demonstrated on this blog.
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The overall result I am hoping for is a combination of abstraction and figurative realistic work. Most likely, various selections will be cropped out of the larger image to make up the smaller size illustrations.
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For the next few blog posts I plan to show the process in stages.
I habitually keep making small changes to a composition as long as it is in my possession. I may put it away for a while, and then some new change seems to occur to me, and I get out the paint again. And to add another thin coat of varnish, and photograph the latest version. Again.
It is difficult to hang on to a piece until you are sure it is really finished, because there is always some place to show it before you reach that point. I am probably not going to be able to change that habit. For that reason, I tell people I do often change my work. Once it is sold, I have to let it go as is.
I don’t have any problem letting my work go out into the world. This means it is ready to give others pleasure. That is my reason for creating it. Selling work allows an artist to keep on being creative… sustains us so we can continue to buy materials and to live, and to go on being in that creative mental space.
See my blog of March 29 to see the previous version of Winter Concert. The changes were made using acrylic glazes to deepen the maroons and balance the composition. (I really do believe it is finished, this time!)
The next experiment is to use three layers in the same way as two layers are used in the previous exercise. The “mode” setting is applied to the top two layers in varied combinations.
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Note: It is possible to work for hours and not find one happy accident that has potential to become a finished work of art. Other experiments may produce many images that can be the start of something really worthwhile. This approach can be quite time consuming.
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There are certain elements of composition which make an image more or less effective. When combining layers in Photoshop, using the “mode” setting under the Layers tableau, to create accidental effects, choosing combinations that contain certain elements tend to produce better compositions.
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These include: One layer with fine but varied textures, a second with medium to large shapes that will affect the division of the picture plane, and a third with medium sized patterns. A range of light to dark values in all three layers usually result a more dynamic composition. A combination of geometric and organic shapes will also create more interesting images. Usually. They are accidental, after all!
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A good composition leads the eye of the viewer to various focal points within the picture plane, but creates enough interest to keep the viewer’s attention for a reasonable length of time. An all-over texture or pattern by itself tends not to offer enough variety to maintain that interest. The artist strives to learn what is effective in achieving this.
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In the past demonstration, from April 26, three kinds of images were layered to produce a fourth image. Go back to that post to consider the following points about the process of using modes in Layers. The first textural image feels unbalanced. The second is incomplete, and somewhat unsettling. The third (from a tie-dye) is exciting, draws attention, but is rather symmetrical, almost static, and can quickly lose the viewer’s attention. The fourth version, obtained by combining the previous three layers using mode adjustments is more interesting. The three rectangular shapes were created by copying parts of one area into other areas, but more work was needed to command the viewer’s attention. I would add some other shapes, keeping to an uneven number as this us usually more dynamic. I would like to accent the suggestion of depth.
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Later, I did take example #4, and added shapes to make it more interesting. Then I layered it again with two different textural images, resulting in the image above. One was a crackle texture, originally photographed from an old door. The other was a texture created in Kid Pix, which used paint tools, geometric divisions and outlining of the shapes thus created. Experiments with these three layers resulted in an image close to the one shown above. I made color adjustments, dark and light adjustments, and contrast, to deepen areas of the composition. You can see the resemblance to the tie-dye configuration, but now the picture plane contains areas of emphasis, textural interest, and areas of hazy mystery, with a hint of depth.
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This is a study. At some point I will probably print it out. Other papers of related colors and shapes will be added and moved around until the whole is transformed into a pleasing environment where I want to take a vacation for a while.When it seems finished, I will eventually show the finished collage.
Combining Geometric with Organic Motifs in Abstract Composition
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The above composition is an example of the dynamic effect achieved by combining both organic motifs and geometric elements in the same picture plane.
The pale marbleized textures are contrasted to the sharp straight lines of the geometric shapes. The repeated narrow black shapes remind me of piano keys.
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The general effect of the geometric shapes is one of looking straight down at a design with the same depth of field, which creates a two-dimensional composition.
The curved lines and shapes, if predominant could create an impression of depth, or three-dimensional space.
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In the future I will include examples of organic-geometric combinations, which produce different effects, and attempt to explain how they exemplify particular elements of design and principles of Composition.
Composition, whether it contains recognizable imagery or is limited to purely non-objective content, is much the same process. Shapes or forms of varied hues and values, lines, movement, balance, are arranged to create interest, and hopefully to keep the viewers interest for a period of time. Collage is a medium which allows moving shapes, lines and colors around within the picture plane before adhering the papers to a background.
The three images above show the steps this composition went through before the final version was chosen, and also that after choosing the final arrangement, many changes may continue to be made, using acrylic paint. (Not all the images were allowed on this post, but the numbers will identify the order of creation)
In the first is shown the original computer concept. In the second, is the rearranged version, also on the computer. Paper textures scanned into the computer were used to come up with the layout, and printed out with colorfast inks on archival papers. The computer study was printed out as well, as a 4x6” image to work from. Working small initially helps me to overcome the difficulty I often have with larger scale proportions. The floral images were included at the end to convey the idea of a garden concert. The final image was size 18x24.”
Acrylic medium was used to adhere the papers to the canvas, and the finished image, which included tonal washes of acrylic paint to strengthen the composition, and the black border, was sealed with acrylic varnish. The final image was a photograph of the piece. I am having difficulties with my ten- year old camera, and put it on auto focus, which still comes out a little blurry.
The piece expresses a sad theme, using letters written home from soldiers in Iraq, which is why I called it Concert in Blue Flat Minor.
This piece was shown about one year ago in Greeley’s Madison and Main Gallery for the annual Garden Show.
Please note: I have a new blog site, which features Abstract Art Exclusively. Go to Google and ask for Mixed Media Abstract Art by Ruth Zachary.
This site is about the techniques of creating art, especially in photo montage, and in mixed media collage and includes the various kinds of art I have made in the past, or am creating in the present, and includes both abstract art and realistic art.
This Winter Concert played on into Spring! I can't believe it took me a whole month to show the final result of this collage. (And there still may be more minor changes) As you can see the previous stage of planning this piece was not quite satisfactory.
Ideally, changing the initial concept of a piece as the creative urge prompts, allows the most freedom of expression. I have a problem working directly on larger pieces, but working on the computer to make a study where I can make changes is very helpful. It is a matter of scale, and since the change in my vision occurred, I am even more grateful to be able to do some of the work, especially the initial planning, on the computer. If others who see this also have a hard time working on a large scale, planning a composition as a thumbnail sketch may help you too!
The name refers to the black and white stripes which remind me of piano keys. The other colors are deep and almost somber, like winter, but warm, like being inside on a winter evening.
Some of the papers originated years ago, when I began saving papers that were the result of cleaning my print making rollers. The papers were newsprint, something I would never use in collage because of the high acidic content. Still the patterns and textures were so intriguing I couldn’t bear to throw them out. But imported into the computer, and printed on good papers with colorfast inks, the image will retain the details and hold up over time. These textures can be seen in the background grays of the composition.
This and other patterns, both geometric and organic, were layered one over the other in Photoshop. When some rich shapes and textures emerged, I cut them apart and arranged them on the computer. The first result could be seen in the long narrow image, and I planned to work from that.
Among various gessoed panels, none were long and narrow. I picked one, sized 24x30” to leave equal space at the edges. The collage would be mounted over a pre-painted dark tone. This separated the image from the frame, even though the borders would later include more elements. The creative process continued as the papers were cut up to be rearranged and adhered to the panel, using clear acrylic medium.
