Exploring Layers and Depth
For a 2-D artist, the working surface is flat.
But, generally, we don’t want the images we create to be flat.
I don’t want work that’s emotionally flat. Or visually flat.
I work hard to create multiple ways to draw people into a picture – both emotionally and visually.
So this weekend I’ve been cutting out leaves.
All by themselves, these will not create depth. But they will – I hope – contribute to the whole composition. (My plan is to collage these into my current work-in-progress.)
Even in this simple pile of fabric leaves on my worktable, there are some things to see about depth.
To create a layer, put one thing on top of another thing.
To create depth, have some things opaque and some things transparent or semi-transparent.
To create a sense of in-front-of and behind, have varying intensities in color.
To create an entry into a story, try a portal or framing device with something behind it.
I am thinking about flatness and depth for the piece I am working on now and as I am beginning to form ideas of what I want to focus on in the next few months of in work. Sometimes it helps me to look back at previous work that I felt got some things right.
This is “Growing Unseen.” I spent some time looking at in again this evening
I really like this quilt. I felt like I captured an emotion. It has a lot going on, but the parts seem to speak to each other.
And, I did a number of things to keep it from being flat. There are areas of overlap. There is varied color intensity. There are portals into deeper layers. There is a mix of opaque and transparent.
Looking at it again, I remember how I felt when I created this work. It speaks very personally to me. I remember being a little girl like the one depicted, feeling invisible. I was right there in the picture, but did not feel like I was an important character in the story.
That’s a lot of complex memory and emotion to put into a two-dimensional work. What I’ve discovered that I really like about quiltmaking is that fabric and collage provide me with tactile, hands-on ways to address ideas like that, to build up layers that are both pleasing to me and interesting. Not flat.
(If you would like to learn more about “Growing Unseen,” it is on my website HERE.)
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It’s a new year. May it be one in which we can create, enjoy art, and live deeply.
For all the artmakers: Happy creating
For all the art lovers: Happy appreciating
Thank you for reading. I always enjoy questions and comments.
--Bobbi
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