Thursday, June 29, 2017

In Opposition

I could tell a story about creating this painting, and—believe me—I've been in opposition with myself and telling a grouchy story for days, mostly about fussy/overthought vs. loose/intuitive. Every story needs a good conflict, ya know?

But it would just be a story.*

Instead, I'm going to take a step back, turn this little painting upside down, and practice noticing artistic elements that oppose each other visually.


A Story of Contrasts, by Dotty Seiter

• red vs. its complement
• straight edges vs. curved
• sharp edges vs. soft
• physically flat surfaces vs. textured/dimensional
• thin lines vs. thicker
• busy areas vs. quiet
• bright colors vs. dull
• dark hues vs. light
• veiled lines vs. bold.

The end!

In the Morning We Would Wake and There Would Be Coffee
4.4 x 6"; acrylic, ink, collage, and oil pastel on paper
abstract floral
2017


*I did, in fact, tell my internal grouchy story via asemic writing that shows up palimpsestically in the veiled background behind the blossoms here—I let my conflicted mood rip and move on outta me!




8 comments:

carol edan said...

You were so RIGHT to turn this painting upside down. Actually I love it better this way. Not blogged down by recognizable shapes etc. I always open image in new window to really appreciate the details, textures, and colors. Kol ha Kavod!!!

Sheila said...

Love your concise chronicle in contrast with your copious completion. Wonderful work Dotty. Love the deeper meaning in the veiled writing. Love the details that make my eyes happy with color and texture and differences!!

dotty seiter: now playing said...

Turning a painting to alternate orientations can be so helpful. With this one, I was surprised at how hard it was to get my eyes to see it without imposing recognizable representational context on it, but it was well worth the challenge in moving towards a greater measure of objectivity. Thanks for your input and cheers!

dotty seiter: now playing said...

Sheila, thanks for your feedback and alluring alliteration. Glad that color, texture, and differences stand out.

Lola (Jen Jovan) said...

ooooh I LOVE all the contrasts and conflict in this piece! So much energy going on! Turning it upside down was brilliant. I am particularly gaga over the slanted, uneven horizon line. Perfection. :)

Simone said...

1. I love the word Palimpsestically. I think this is the most interestng English word so far for me.
2. Such a good idea to write everything out: the best underground for soulful paintings.

have a good weekend!

dotty seiter: now playing said...

Love that you took note of the slanted, uneven horizon line. That was intentional and fun/satisfying malarkey.

dotty seiter: now playing said...

I don't even know if palimpsestically is a bona fide word, but it works for me, and evidently for you too!

Writing out my grouchiness felt terrific. I used asemic marks while orally assigning a word to each mark. And then I painted over all of it. Felt just right.

Happy weekend to you also!

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