Patterns

Patterns exist in many different forms and functions. They can exist purely for aesthetic purposes, such a patterns printed on floor, ceiling and wall tiles. Patterns can be used for religious purposes, like the patterns in stained glass on cathedrals or the complex patterns created in Islamic art. They can also be celebratory such as the patterns of henna tattoos, which are often used to signify events like marriage.
Patterns can be intricate and dizzying, or they can be simple and soothing. They can also be used to create optical illusions and give the viewer a sense of motion, depth, or latent images.
The term pattern may be used in reference not only to visuals but to certain behaviors that individuals repeat over the course of their life.

Gestalt

My painting professor at BCCC used to walk around the room, expounding upon the importance of "gestalt". Good story, I know.

She explained it as "the overall image, parts coming together to form a whole, the bigger picture". In greater depth it refers to the way in which positive and negative space come together to form the entire image.

While you can see definitive positive and negative shapes in my Illustrator drawing, it is probably not the most clear example of gestalt because it is abstract.

And I still dislike/am afraid of computers. My laptop totally owns me.

the picture is from "http://graphicdesign.spokanefalls.edu/tutorials/process/gestaltprinciples/gestaltprinc.htm"

Value Composition

Value Studies

The first part of this project was mostly....frustrating. It was frustrating because it is difficult to get seamless transitions, and frustrating because it was about the thirtieth time in my life that I've had to do a value scale. Once I got the value scale done, the second part came a little easier. Thinking about composition is always more interesting. I chose to do a high contrast theme of value, and the only problem I came across was that when I added white sections to the drawing it looked bizarre, so even though I wanted to keep them as part of the design I ended up having to darken them a little.
That and my fixative is stuffed in my locker at the downtown campus...

the string incident

The thought of having to unravel all of the string at the end of the project was enough to keep me from fully enjoying the activity. I did not unravel my entire ball of twine, and I did not think about composition when I was unraveling it. However, looking at every one's string wrapped together it doesn't seem to have mattered whether or not we thought about composition. Despite the spontaneity of the project, patterns started emerging in certain spots throughout the room, making it appear as though it was planned and purposeful.
I don't think it was a lame or useless activity, because it definitely encouraged teamwork, and caused many people to remark that people going to other colleges would not have gotten to experience such a thing. This is a valid point because in art related fields it is important to be able to free yourself from rigid thinking in order to come up with solutions that are unorthodox and creative. It's important to be able to have fun and work at the same time because if you aren't enjoying yourself it translates into the work you do.

Line & Shape

Of these images, I think that A, B, and C can be lines, and of the same images all of them (A, B, C, and D) can be shapes.

A line is a mark that is made to describe another object, one piece of a whole.

A shape represents only itself, it is the object being viewed, and can be composed of multiple lines.

Sculpture Analysis

This sculpture is composed primarily of right angles and straight lines. The fact that it is a strongly geometric figure that has been covered in a uniform coat of black paint gives this sculpture the feeling that it is mechanical in nature. It has a very powerful presence, and though you cannot tell the size from the photograph you imagine that if you were to stand before it, it would tower over you.

I like that you have to look closely to see all of the detail that is in this piece. If you walked by it, you would not be able to catch everything in one glance. The uniform color makes it seem as though everything is supposed to go together, rather than being random objects the artist slapped together. I also like that despite its very structured appearance, it still seems fragile, as though some of the boxes have been stacked very precariously on top of the others.