Time for THE TALK

No matter the class, everyone gets to hear the lecture on Pat's seven compositional styles. Can't escape hearing  her tips for how to design from a blank yard/wall/theme. And if you repeat a class (ah, those repeat offenders) you'll get to hear it all over again. It's for the good.
 

What is On the Wall

I'm not sure what is going on here, but I keep chipping away at the bits and I am starting to see some parts I like. At this point, I'll give it my "what composition is this?" test. Many of you know I have seven, and let's see if I can find which one emerges.
 

Composition Cheat Card

Seven of types of composition. It's not definitive, just my set. I use it when I shuffle pieces around in design, when I set screens for printing, and when I identify the structure of works that puzzle me. It's my way of figuring out this complex world of visual matter.
 

Quick Sketch Ideas

Warmup exercises for many of my workshops involve quick compositions using photos from calendars. I can see this little sketch and appreciate the line quality, the asymmetry, the color palette, and the layout (predominately horizontal) that randomly show up. There is always another good idea.

Add One More "Hombre"

There used to be six. Six ways to layout a composition. I mean, there's more than six, but that was my go- to for making sense of the chaos of randomly improv blocks. But there's a new kid on the block: Hombre. Yes, I know the transition of value from light to dark is Ombre, but I like to think he's real.
 

Low Tech

Virtual class has the ability to share a screen with slick images, polished graphics, and mesmerizing images. But for quick and direct, here's my list of compositions that might jump start the jumble of improv-made blocks. You'd be surprised how many fall into these categories. 
 

It's Virtually Strange, But Fun

Abstract was the buzz word today for the week long design class. This exercise had to marry great shapes with great background. Mine (above) was pale compared to what the class did. No problem with that, I'm glad to see better outcomes!

In Harmony

My weekend was consumed with the Turtle Hill Folk Festival here in Rush, New York. Beside three great concerts were dozens of workshops. One on writing original songs, was an eye opener to compare the composing process to how I would start and edit a fiber piece.

Egg-Stream Art

Why do I see my next composition here? Lines, blobs, nine-patch, triptych -- they all seem to be here. Taken at the Fly-In breakfast on Saturday in Williamson, New York.