Finishing up my Pamela Allen class. The last exercise was to do a narrative piece. We started by critiquing artwork with a focus on how the artistic elements tell a story, even in something like a still life. Then we needed to come up with one of our own.
It was a very chaotic week for me, and I had just gotten a new book by Gail Godwin, a favorite author. I was marveling at how I could completely slip away from the chaos and lose myself in the book, and decided to try to make a piece capturing that.
I submitted 2 slightly different versions for critique.
I was afraid the first one was too overpowered by the flower background, so I tamed the background, but felt it lost something and became too static:
Pamela said she felt both pieces worked but conveyed slightly different feelings. She pointed out that the first, with the darker shading on the face created more anxiety and made the woman look like she was trying to read in the chaos, but finding it hard. The second was overall calmer.
There were strong opinions from the group on both sides about whether the flowers overpowered or not. I decided I wanted that overwhelming feeling, but created a bit of a corner to help her pop a bit.
It was a fun and challenging exercise, but I don't know that it's anything I'll continue with.
But I did love the class! Here's what I'm taking from it:
- I like Pamela's technique of cutting freeform and using a gluestick to anchor pieces. It's a great way to establish an overall composition before going on to details.
- I'm reminded to look to masters for lessons in composition and color.
- Think primarily about shape first and find ways to make shapes pop by varying the background.
- It's fabulous to find a great teacher to critique your work!!!
I highly recommend taking one of her classes!
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7 comments:
those faces are spooky
I prefer the one with the big flower and don't feel it overpowers at all but is an intrinsic part of it
Oh that's so funny, Jude, that you find the faces spooky. I was afraid they were too sweet looking for my taste, but then my taste runs to demon faces, so I guess it's all relative.
Robin I think you found a good balance in the last one, the first face had too much contrast and the second piece seems to have lost an important snap to it. But what the bigger picture says is what I like. She sits amongst color chaos, flower vase knocked over and calmly with her ankles together she reads her book. Is her name Grace by chance?
I like the third one best, too. I like the figure having a corner to sit in, and I like being able to focus immediately on the book and her attention to it...
I've so enjoyed your classes with Pamela Allen (thanks for sharing so much with us...so interesting).
I think the face in the first one definately has a Picasso look, love it! Me, I love busy, so that flower print is great. Amazing how that piece of yellow in your final piece really gave it that pop you were after. Great work!
Jacky xox
I am impressed with the feedback from this class. You seemed to get a lot from the constructive criticism and many good design issues were covered....
I VERY much like the final little still life. I love too the detail of your stitched work, the overall texture of tiny stitches.
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