Mile 21: Harmony. lonely trees.
Posted: April 11, 2010 Filed under: Creatively Fit Marathon Miles | Tags: Creatively Fit, harmony, marathon, nature, tree Leave a comment
The design principle for this mile was HARMONY. This is actually one of my favorite miles. Trees are always a favorite of mine to paint, and I love the background of this one. The bare trees look a little lonely, but also harmonious with their branches all intertwined. This painting feels so natural to me- I think this may be closer to who I am as an artist. I can’t wait to run with it. I already have plans to replicate this one with slightly different colors!
Mile 20: Proportion. nautilus shell.
Posted: April 6, 2010 Filed under: Creatively Fit Marathon Miles | Tags: Creatively Fit, marathon, nature, proportion 1 Comment
I’m getting behind in my blogging again- I’ll try to be better! The design principle emulated in this mile is PROPORTION. Things that are perfectly proportioned are pleasing to the eye. Things that are out of proportion aren’t necessarily bad though- they can create interest and emphasis. The nautilus shell is one of the many objects of nature that has perfect proportions. Replicating its perfection was harder than I expected- the proportions in my painting are a bit off. I think I could have fixed it, but I decided it wasn’t worth it this time.
More important than the physical outcome was the real-life application of this mile. It made me think about what things in my life I could be spending a greater proportion of my time on in order to be happier. Work and stress tend to overwhelm everything, but adding in more creative therapy (like this marathon) will help (and had helped) me to create a healthy balance in my life. What can you do in greater proportions to become more balanced and happy?
Mile 19: Balance.
Posted: March 27, 2010 Filed under: Creatively Fit Marathon Miles | Tags: balance, Creatively Fit, marathon, meditation, mixed media Leave a comment
The principle of design for the mile is BALANCE. In her email, Whitney described the concept really well: “A painting can illustrate balance when an area of great detail is balanced by an area that is more open and simple, or an area containing lots of colors is balanced by an area with only one main color.” For this mile we were to create a balanced abstract using torn paper. I thought about this one for a while before I actually pursued it. My intention was to balance texture with smoothness, chaos with simplicity, lots of colors with few colors, and abstract with literal. This one was beautiful in my head, but I don’t think I executed it all that well. I hit a wall when I actually sat down to do something so abstract. I couldn’t really get into my right-brain, so I was questioning my ability to make this look thought-out and not child-like. All in all, I think I touched on balance, but I definitely think it could be better!
Mile 18: Unity. Circles and Triangles.
Posted: March 27, 2010 Filed under: Creatively Fit Marathon Miles | Tags: circles, color, Creatively Fit, marathon, triangles, unity 5 Comments
This marathon is getting harder! I’m definitely slowing down now that I’m near the end. The principle of design focused on in this painting is UNITY. Paintings that contain unity have common elements throughout them, whether it be colors or shapes. Pieces without unity appear a bit confusing or disjointed. Whitney pointed out that a lack of unity in life, as in art, can make us feel “stretched too thin.” As difficult as it can be to do, it is imperative to find a common thread in all the things we do in life that ties everything together and makes us feel complete. This is something I definitely should work on. If I could figure out how to incorporate ART into WORK I think I’d be a much happier person!
I’m pretty happy with this mile. The design was somewhat difficult to implement, especially because I was sketching it out right over the last mile and I couldn’t see what I was doing! Once I had the lines drawn, I basically created my own “paint by numbers” pattern. I know it’s hard to tell, but there is a pattern to the way the colors were dispersed (and if you find a mistake just don’t tell me!!). It wasn’t my intention for the colors to clump like they did and I was really frustrated when I realized that it was happening, but I actually like the finished effect. There are no colors (or shapes) that are not represented in multiple places on the canvas, so hopefully I’m doing UNITY justice!
Mile 17: Contrast. Sunflower.
Posted: March 14, 2010 Filed under: Creatively Fit Marathon Miles | Tags: color, contrast, Creatively Fit, flowers, marathon, nature 1 Comment
For the last eight miles of the marathon we’ll be learning about the eight principles of design: contrast, unity, balance, proportion, harmony, repetition, rhythm, and emphasis. I’m so excited! The first principle is CONTRAST. Contrast in art, as in life, creates a focal point that catches your attention. I chose green and orange/yellow as contrasting colors. Notice how the little green behind the petals really makes the yellow pop. I actually like this one a lot- it’s rustic and visually pleasing (to me, at least). It feels good to re-learn the design elements I hadn’t given much thought in years!
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