SUBJECT TREATMENT IN ABSTRACT ART, PART 1

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Subject treatment or approaches to creating an abstract or non objective art piece can still be described by the qualities displayed in the work, whether or not the viewer responds to the imagery intended by the artist, or whether it actually contains objective subjects.

Representation of three dimensions in a painting or art work that is flat is only an illusion. A composition may be described as an attempt to reproduce the effect of three dimensions or not. Either approach may be attempted in abstract art, even without recognizable or objective imagery. Much of abstract art has to do with the interplay of characteristics of dimension. 

The elements of design have to do with  the two dimensional aspect of the layout within the picture plane.

Organic Non-objective Composition

The success of abstract art depends directly upon the execution of good aesthetic characteristics, and the study of composition at an early stage of the work is more needed, than when the artist is using nature, and recognizable imagery in creating a piece of art, because with realism, familiarity with a subject often includes an intuitive sense about compositional principles. The study of composition while dealing with realistic subjects can be delayed but not so easily if working with non objective art work.

Organic composition includes shapes, and lines generally found in nature. Usually these elements  are irregular in character. Although completely organic, the above composition seems to lie completely on a flattened surface, (two dimensions) as if looking at it from above or from across a room. There is no attempt to create depth or represent three dimensions in this piece.  Perhaps this is why abstractions work so well in large interior spaces. Note the quiet areas near the edge of the composition, without actually using a mat, spacer or complex frame so that it effectively contains the composition within the central area.

Describing types or approaches of creating abstract art will be the focus of the next few blogs. Study of the characteristics of various works may increase the awareness of the artist or reader, as well as my own, and with it, greater awareness of aesthetics in good composition.

Writing and art work are the Copyright © of Ruth Zachary.

COLORING BETWEEN THE LINES

Suggested Picture Plane Shapes and Format Shapes as an Alternative Approach to the Conventional Square or Rectangle.

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The Picture Plane here refers to the space within the frame. It is limited to two dimensions, and does not include sculptural art, because generally the work covered here is not three dimensional. 

Picture Plane shapes are limited to the shape of the frame. Usually they are geometric, rectangular, square, round, oval, hexagonal, octagonal or diamond or rhomboid shaped. Occasionally the Picture Plane can be an Organic shape such as a primitive shield, a fiber wall hanging shape, or a Silhouette cut out of plywood.

Format Shape: this refers to the shapes within the Picture Plane, separated from the frame edges, by interior mats, spacers or borders.

Using Format Shapes may be seen as one kind of treatment or approach for creating abstract imagery, as well as working with realistic subjects.

The imagery is the sum of the shapes, colors, lines, and other elements that fill the space created inside the format shape, (or the entire picture plane, if the composition fills the areas to the edges.) The illustration above does not cover all possiblities. I am sure other people can think of additional shapes.

Often large abstractions are not typically framed with mats or spacers to separate the frame from the artwork. Sometimes the art work is planned to avoid using a mat, and includes elements that create the illusion of space between the frame and the composition in the central area. Quieter areas, either light, dark or neutral at the edge of the artwork usually creates that aense of separation from the frame.

It may seem that treatments and approaches that help the process of creating recognizable or objective imagery would not apply to totally non-objective art, but that is not the case.

Recognition of different types of abstraction can be cultivated. Once they are described, it can be seen that there are a great many different approaches that may be taken. In addition, once awareness informs one’s experience, possible variations of approach more readily come to mind.

Please Note, similar information is also being presented on my Montage blog but with an emphasis for those interested in more objective or realistic subject matter.

Writing and Images Above are the Copyright © of Ruth Zachary.

COMPOSITION; A SERIES OF EXPERIMENTS

Watermark 1. This image was made by layering five views of a photo.Unfinished. © by Ruth Zachary

In the last post the above image with a white background was shown. The black background was created by selecting white under the Selection Menu, and filling with black. This left a small outline from the previously white areas, either a mistake or a bonus, depending on how one sees it. The white outlines show in many of the layering experiments I tried later.

Another experiment was to take the different camera views and arrange them differently than just in a horizontal configuration, as can be seen below:

Watermark 4. Vertical and horizontal layering in one composition. Unfinished. ©by Ruth Zachary

I do not find the multiple directions in this experiment as satisfying as Watermark 1. The sharp peaks on the edges looked like fallen and broken formations in a cave, a rather unpleasant image. Rounding many of the sharp peaks still did little to ease the tension and confusion and lack of space suggested by the different directions.

Cropping the whole and preserving the left 2/3 portion of the above image, and turning the remaining part counter clockwise seems like a viable option for rectifying the composition.

Using cutout sections for use in collage might also be very useful.

Watermark 7. (Layering other textures with the Cavern-like imagery using modes.)

I also used layering with the original image. Two other textural layers were also altered by changing the modes, and some of these resulted in interesting imagery for carrying to completion. 

Watermark 7 is quite interesting for its landscape qualities. See the white outlines? Once again, I would try retaining the bottom 2/3 of this arrangement, with modifications before considering it complete. If you are interested, one more image was shown on my montage blog of 07-06-14, Experiments and Accidents, which you can access by clicking on this link. http://rzmontage.blogspot.com.

I would welcome comments by other people on these experiments. Leave your comments at the bottom of this post.

Images and writing are the Copyright © of Ruth Zachary.

EYE FOR THE UNUSUAL

Watermarks. The white residue from overflowed water became the image for layering with modes.

Creating Abstractions with Photography is one more way of collecting imagery to use for layering with modes with Photoshop. (process described throughout the month of June)

Collecting interesting papers and images for collage can also be enhanced by letting your imagination notice imagery in close-up view! Photos of ice crystals on a window, or crazing of old paint can expand your collection. Noticing a spill on a glass tabletop where several plants get light from the south window, led to photographing the pattern, and using it to create imagery. The spill became more noticeable as more overflows occurred, and dried so the residue built up in layers. It looked like wax. I even cautioned friends not to clean it up.(The water mark was cleaned off after photos were taken)

Finally I took four pictures of the watermark, from different perspectives, three with the flash, and one where the flash did not go off. Then I processed them on the computer, copying them into  one Photoshop document. The stains were cut away from the plant part of the image, and included some of the dark of the table, and the negative shadows around the plant leaves.

I forgot that it is important when working on a project like this to keep the background completely open. If the images are merged, they cannot be moved around or changed again, nor can a layer be copied into another document without the solid background coming along with it. I found a way around my mistake, and will show that later on.
Actually, I explained it on my Montage blog today. To see how that worked, use this link to that site, post dated July 6, 2014. 

The four different angles were put into different layers, flipped, up, down and sideways over the open background. One was repeated in a fifth layer. More possibilities remained for placing the shapes in other configurations.

The shapes were arranged, so that the composition could be layered in Photoshop as a continuing experiment for use with modes. The dark forms resulted from the photo when the flash failed to go off. The contrast is dramatic, and seems quite amazing and other-worldly to me. Please Note: The Jpg image below has recorded white where transparent would appear in a Photoshop document.

Watermark Abstract created from repeating a photograph of a water stain, by flipping horizontally and vertically. Unfinished.

More variations from these shapes will be shown on the next Post.

Writing and Images on this post are the Copyright  © of Ruth Zachary.