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.