Weekly Wednesday Feature: butterfly in scarlet by slightclutter

"butterfly in scarlet" by slightclutter

 This is a photograph by Katya Horner entitled "butterfly in scarlet." It is available at her shop: slightclutter on etsy. This listing can be found here.

Viewing this piece, I was struck by its color, pattern and subject.  Color is one of the main components that makes the piece visually appealing; particularly the saturation and contrast of color.  The eye is drawn to the contrasting tones of the butterfly: the lightness and saturation of the yellow, which contrasts with the darkness and purple tinge of the black. The eye is also drawn to the butterfly for the pattern of the color of its wings and body.  The eye then moves through this visual of color and pattern to the super saturated tones of the background of the image: where magenta mingles with hues of purple, puce, and sienna. And these background colors appear softer focus, with less articulation, which further emphasizes the pattern of the butterfly as the focus of the piece. It's a contrast between the intricate pattern and contrast of the butterfly juxtaposed against the soft focus and saturated color melding of the background that makes this piece visually appealing.

I encourage you to check out the rest of the pieces available at slightclutter on etsy.

Weekly Wednesday Feature: among the pumpkins by abbytrysagain

"among the pumpkins" by abbytrysagain

This is a photograph Abby Powell Thompson entitled "among the pumpkins." It is available at her shop: abbytrysagain on etsy. This listing can be found here.

Viewing this piece, I was struck by its color, character, and compositional element.  Color is one of the main components that makes the piece visually appealing; particularly the range of color. The eye is drawn to the super saturated tone of the orange of the pumpkins, and then the deep magenta of the stockings, and then through the softer red-washed tones in the rest of the image that dissipate into highlights of white. Color draws they eye in and moves it through the composition. Color contributes to the character of the piece.  The super saturated tones juxtaposed with strong light and therefore shadows that gives this piece an atmosphere. For the strength of the light in the image, the light of the scene seems very atmospheric in that the highlights aren't too severe or sharp in appearance, and neither are the shadows. There is a softness and embracing quality to the light in the piece, that in combination with the saturation of the color creates a mood of intrigue.

The image is, quite literally, a photo of what is presumably a female, wearing a dress or skirt and stockings standing in a pumpkin patch. Of course, while the details are quite literal, the cropping of the compositional elements makes them more figurative, more dreamy, more open to interpretation. The cropping focuses the viewer's attention on a combination of shapes and textures that act in concert with one another. The saturated areas of color contain the least textural shapes, where as the areas in the wash of atmospheric light have more texture.  There is an interplay between the planes of color and the segmented or sectional areas of light. All of which acts together to tantalize the viewer's eye.

I encourage you to check out the rest of the pieces available at abbytrysagain on etsy.

16 March 2009

etsy:
“sprouts” by Caroline Moore, etsy seller sixhours

This piece is a photograph by Caroline Moore, etsy seller sixhours. The photograph is entitled “sprouts.” It’s a visual metaphor, where the title of the piece acts on the visual components to evoke the surreal. The image is of a bowl that is filled with brussel sprouts and doll heads, sitting on a table. That the bowl has an ornate and symmetrical pattern imprinted on it’s soft white surface, and that the table on which it sits is covered with a white lace tablecloth are visual cues. They indicate a setting which is formal to some degree. And that the bowl is filled with brussel sprouts (and doll heads of the same scale) is also indicative of symbolism congruent with the atmosphere of the setting. Furthermore, that the doll heads are representative of a style and a time, through their shape, the style of their hair and accessories, and their blink-eyes. All these visual cues connote a symbolism of time or an era, particularly mid-twentieth century. However, the image is surreal in that it presents an image of a course of a meal juxtaposed with traditionally non-edible items which fit visually on the basis of scale.
available at:
sixhours: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5600674

song:
“Doll Parts” by Hole, from the album “Live Through This.”

artist: Terry Gilliam
Terrence Vance Gilliam (born 22 November 1940) is a writer, illustrator, animator, director, filmmaker, and member of Monty Python. He was born in Medicine Lake, Minnesota. He attended Occidental College in Los Angeles, CA, where he majored in political science. He worked briefly as a writer / illustrator for Mad Magazine before emigrating to Britain. He obtained British citizenship in 1968; he held dual American / British citizenship until 1996, when he renounced his American citizenship. In 1969 he joined Monty Python. He directed or co-directed many of their movies. He has directed such notable films as “The Fisher King” (1991), “Twelve Monkeys” (1995), “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas”.
terrygilliam.com
wikipedia
tideland
imdb
Dreams
pythonline

random:
surprise…

2 March 2009

etsy:
“Storybook Romance” by Alyson Jones, etsy seller AlysonJonesPrints

This piece is a print of a photo composite by Alyson Jones. The image depicts an open book sitting on a wooden surface, where two characters are liberating themselves from the confines of the pages of the book. It is a visual metaphor. Since the image is a photo-composite, the majority of the detail of the print is literal. The dichotomy of the metaphor is the juxtaposition of that which is photo-realistic and that which is illustrative. The image literally depicts photo-realistic characters removing themselves from an illustration — as the characters leave the two-dimensional plane of the page they transition from a flat illustrative treatment to a literal photo treatment. Once they have left the page, in part or as a whole, a white silhouette of their shape indicates their absence. Another visual indicator of the metaphor is the use of shadow. The illustration from which the characters are leaving depicts no shadows. Where as the portions of the characters that have left the plane of that illustration cast a shadow on it. This works in concert with the fact that the book itself casts a shadow on the surface on which it sits. The overall composition presents a consistent treatment of the depiction of light on form. The use of title “Storybook Romance” provides additional symbolism, in that this is a happy story.
available at:
AlysonJonesPrints: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6851520

song:
“Take On Me” by a-ha from the album “Hunting High and Low”

watch video

artist: Maxfield Parrish
Maxfield Parrish (July 25, 1870 – March 30, 1966) is an American artist best known for his illustrations and prints. He was born as Frederick Parrish in Philadelphia, PA. but took on the surname of his paternal grandmother, Maxfield, as his professional name. He attended Haverford College and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. He began his career as an illustrator with a commission to illustrate Kenneth Grahame’s The Walls Were as of Jasper in 1897. His works are characterized by their realism, clarity, and technical mastery. His pieces, being illustrative, often combined the fantastical with the tangible. The phrase “Parrish blue” is an homage to the intense cobalt hue that is characteristic in many of his works.

artpassions.net
The Parrish House
Maxfield Parrish Online
artcyclopedia
wikipedia

random:
surprise…