Shape and Composition Project

Look at your rayograms and paper cut-out creations.

What compositional styles where you drawn to? (pattern, rhythm, directional movement et cetera). 

In general, I was drawn to balance and unity because I enjoyed trying to unify foreign objects into a cohesive composition. I also was interested in finding ways to balance various objects using rhythm and directional movement. I particularly liked to make pieces that incorporated items that normally would not go together in a choesive, unified, and balanced way.

How do the shapes of the objects relate to one another on the page? Choose one collage and one print as your most compelling work and explain why.

I chose my white-paper-cuts on black paper collage as the most compelling collage because I found it interesting that directional movement was conveyed using organic shapes that did not clearly indicate a direction of movement. The organic, natural paper cuts were placed in a way that invoked movement in a specific direction without the use of arrows, geometric shapes, or curved shapes. I find the final piece to be unexpectedly unified and moving directionally. 

I would consider my rayogram to be an interesting piece because it incorporated both natural/organic and industrial/inorganic materials. I really like the contrast that these very different items created when they were layered on top of one another in the photo. I also like the dimensionality that was achieved in the rayogram with the translucent screwdriver and three-dimensional nuts and bolts. 

Working in the darkroom can be challenging. There are a lot of technical and mechanical components to keep in mind. Make an outline of your process in the darkroom, go through the steps of making a print. (you do not need to write in complete sentences).

     - arrange your objects on the photo paper and place below the developer                     

     - expose the photo paper to light for 8 seconds

     - place the exposed paper in the developer chemical until fully developed

     - move the exposed paper to the stop bath for 30 seconds

     - move the paper into the fixer chemicals for 2-5 minutes

     - place the paper in the water bath for a few minutes

     - move the paper into the permawash and then back into the water wash

     - remove the print from the water wash and onto the dry racks; leave until completely dry

To what degree did you push yourself to rework and refine your work? How well unified are the compositions of you final collage and photogram prints?

     I definitely pushed myself to rework and refine my work during the paper cuts project, as I would cut and arrange paper cuts and then completely rearrange them over and over again until I found a layout that I liked. I would choose one compositional style to focus on, and then switch my focus to another one and redo my collage in the process. It took me many attempts to get two final collages that I felt satisfied with. However, in the end, I think that this experimentation payed off.

     In the rayogram, I liked being able to experiment with various materials in the darkroom and get a feel for those that appeared best in prints. This process really helped me to discover some interesting objects that i was eager to use in my final piece. When creating my final print, I definitely had to rework and rearrange the materials almost constantly. Although I feel I could hae taken more risks, I thought that I was able to successfully experiment with the materials to find intriguing combinations and create a final composition that respresented one of the elements of composition.

     I think that both of my paper cuts are very unified, as I used the same types of shapes (organic, geometric) throughout each piece to invoke a sense of unity and balance. In the rayogram, I think that the contrast and lack of complete unity was what made my piece interesting. There were no objects that completely did not belong, but some objects were more emphasized than others and I think that this created an interesting display of proportion and contrast. 

HABITS OF MIND
Look at the Artist Habits of Mind. Besides, Develop Craft & Reflect, which habit did you excel at with this “Shape and Composition” project (consider all facets of the project)? Which habit did you struggle with? Give a little explanation about why you chose each one. 

I think that overall, I was successful with experimentation when finding the pieces to put in all three of my final compositions. I had to experiment many times to find ways to successfully unify the sshapes in all three of the pieces. Oftentimes, I was not pleased with the outcomes of my combinations and had to rethink my element of composition and experiment with using materials and shapes in new and unusual ways. I also thought that I did well experimenting while practicing in the darkroom, as I made many prints using a variety of objects in order to see which ones I found most interesting.

Final Rayogram

I chose to focus on contrast when I created this image. I think that the image illustrates contrast because there is a competing mixture of both natural and unnatural elements that create an interesting contrast. I made sure to incorporate both organic shapes and more angular, structured shapes to provide a contrast between items. There is also contrast between the mesh and the black space in the background. I chose to use various industrial materials including chains, nuts and bolts, nails, and screwdrivers and organic materials like fern leaves and honeycombs. I chose the screwdrivers because they are very strong solid shapes that provide the piece with structure. I especially liked that one of the screwdrivers was slightly translucent because I think that this created an interesting dimensional effect. I also chose the honeycomb because it is both opaque and translucent and creates interesting shadows that evoke depth. i think the disorganization of the chains throughout the piece provides some variation and interest to the otherwise organized and balanced piece. 

Rayograms

This composition represents balance because there is a consistent flow of natural items across the page. The objects are all of fairly equal size and are spaced in a rhythmic way. There is also lots of contrast between the solid white objects and the dark background. The organic shapes show interesting movement and evoke natural movement. 

This compostion depicts unity because across the page, all three objects are of similar size and are facing similar directions. Although the natural items are very different in shape, they evoke a similar sense of direcitonal movement and are placed symmetrically, making them look balanced. The item in the middle is proportionately larger than the other two items. 

Paper Cuts Project

White on Black Paper Cuts - Directional Movement
     This piece represents directional movement because when viewing the cut-outs, the eye is taken on a path across the paper. The mind sees the figure from left to right. It curves upwards towards the top and of paper and then downwards to the bottom of the paper. These cut-outs illustrate directional movement because the white shapes are assumed to flow in a certain direction. Although this direction is not otherwise indicated, it can be inferred after viewing the cut-outs.
     I used the negative space to frame the shape made by the cutouts and to create lines that move between each cut-out. The majority of the shaped that I used in this composition were organic because I had based the cut-outs off of sketches I had done of a tree's shadow. The shadow had many inorganic shapes and I used these shapes as inspiration for the project. However, I did use a few straight lines and a small triangle to mix in a few geometric shapes and give the piece a cleaner aesthetic.
  

Black on White Paper Cuts - Unity
     This set of paper-cuts depicts unity because the entire piece is contained within one organic shape and it is balanced and nearly symmetrical. The overall shapes of the cutouts are fairly similar and exhibit a common likeness. I used many curved shapes and triangles to unify the shape that I created. Also, the amounts of negative space left on the paper and somewhat symmetrical and further help to unify the cut-outs in the center.
      In this composition, I used negative space to frame the cuts. There is a nearly equal amount of negative space between each shape and a nearly equal amount of negative space on either side of the figure in the center of the paper. The negative space creates interesting organic and geometric shaped within the figure. In this piece, I used also used many organic shapes to show movement and create interest and fluidity. However, I also integrated geometric shapes into the piece to make it more angular and sharper on the inside while I kept the shapes framing the figure more organic and gave them softer edges. I think that this creates an interesting contrast.


     I find the first composition to be more interesting because I think that the organic shapes create intricate patterns within the negative space and in general, I find the white paper cuts on black paper to be more aesthetically pleasing. I think that the white on black has a more unique effect and creates more contrast, even though the same colors are used in the second piece. I also find the choppy movement in the first to be more intriguing than the symmetrical movement of the second piece.
     I see novel shape and composition within both pieces. I think that there are novel shapes in the upper right hand corner of the second set of cut-outs and I find it interesting that the shapes work well together even if they do not physically fit together or line up exactly. I also see unusual shapes within the bottom right hand section of the first piece, where four cutouts are put together to create a shape almost resembling an arrowhead. I find it interesting that these four organic shapes are able to work together to create a unified object. I also see interesting composition within the unity of the second piece. When thinking about unity, one does not typically think about jagged geometric shapes being put together, but in this case, it works in an unusual way and the jagged lines come together to create a unified piece.

Paper Cut Project

This piece represents directional movement because the eye is taken on a path across the paper. The mind sees the figure from left to right. It curves upwards towards the top of the paper and then downwards to the bottom of the paper. This illustrates directional movement because the white shapes flow in a certain direction across the black paper. Although this direction is not otherwise indicated, the eye assumes that the figure moves from left to right.