Exploring Composition

Exploring Composition

Rule of thirds

I think the use of light and dark as well as line and composition in this picture are very effective.

The Golden Ratio

The "rule of odds" 

The rule of odds states that by framing the object of interest with an even number of surrounding objects, it becomes more comforting to the eye.

Three Women, Kazimir Malevich, 1930

Positive and Negative Space

Balance

Horizontal balance

Vertical balance

Radial balance

Symmetrical balance

Asymmetrical balance

Value

Composition examples

Composition with Large Red Plane, Yellow, Black, Grey and Blue, Piet Mondrian, 1921

Exploring the Philosophical Foundations of My Art

Techne is related to skill or handiwork. It was used in ancient Greek society in conjunction with lower classes, or those who worked with their hands, producing the practical things needed for everyday life. Techne stands in contrast with the term episteme, which conveys the idea of knowing. Episteme would be more relevant to art which contrasts with craft in conveying a message. 

Epistemology is a branch of philosophy that explores knowledge, and one's philosophical perspective on where knowledge comes from. My philosophical view of knowledge has evolved over the years, beginning with a very positivistic empirical view in my early years. I believe that the roots of this viewpoint were developed through my upbringing in a very conservative home, the daughter of an engineer. I later was involved in conducting quantitative medical and nursing research. During my Master's degree program at the University of Washington, quantitative research involving careful measurement of distinct phenomena was valued and encouraged. 

Over the last decade my personal philosophy on knowledge has evolved, remaining empirical, yet becoming constructivist, naturalistic and very pragmatic in nature. My PhD studies had a marked influence in helping my understand the value of personal experience as I explore the breadth and depth and personal experience of complex phenomena. Understanding the patient experience has become a primary emphasis in my research as well as my teaching. Empathy has become a primary goal in my work and in my teaching, as I try to promote relationship-based dignity-promoting care. When we try to understand someone else, what their experience is like, what their concerns are,  we become more empathetic in our interactions with them, and ultimately, more effective in meeting their needs and in promoting their quality of life and dignity. But to do this, we need to come into an encounter asking, not telling. Humble, as equals with them. 

I value all that I have learned and will learn from my patients, my research participants and my students. My personal experiences have also had a marked impact on my understanding. Thus what I know is an amalgam , and the combination of what from "scientific evidence", the experience of others, and my personal experience 

What is the difference between art and craft?

Definitions from The Free Dictionary

Craft

nouns:

1. Skill in doing or making something, as in the arts; proficiency. An occupation or trade requiring manual dexterity or skilled artistry. The membership of such an occupation or trade; guild.

Verbs: craft·ed, craft·ing, crafts

1. To make by hand.

2. To make or construct (something) in a manner suggesting great care (skill) or ingenuity:

in Wikipedia Encyclopedia, Arts & Crafts Movement:

The term crafts is often used to describe the family of artistic practices within the family decorative arts that traditionally are defined by their relationship to functional or utilitarian products (such as sculptural forms in the vessel tradition) or by their use of such natural media as wood, clay, glass, textiles, and metal.

Craft as a classification

In English, to describe something as a craft is to describe it as lying somewhere between an art (which relies on talent) and a science (which relies on knowledge). In this sense, the English word craft is roughly equivalent to the ancient Greek term techne, which means skill or handiwork. 

"A craft is the practical application of an art, rather than art as an end in itself."

Art:
creative forms of expression.
"An expressive exploration of the formal and emotional possibilities of an artistic medium." Collingwood

Quotations that help me understand art:
"I make pots. . .to understand the nature of form. . .and for the elation that goes with discovering the unknown.” Len Castle

"Art does not reproduce the visible; rather, it makes visible" [Paul Klee Inward Vision]
"Art is...pattern informed by sensibility" [Herbert Read The Meaning of Art]
"Art is meant to disturb. Science reassures" [Georges Braque Pensées sur l'art]
"True art selects and paraphrases, but seldom gives a verbatim translation" [Thomas Bailey AldrichPonkapog Papers]
"Art enlarges experience by admitting us to the inner life of others" [Walter Lippmann The Golden Rule and After]

In the excellent article below, art philosopher Denis Dutton discusses ways that craft or craftsmanship differs from art. Here are some quotes that resonate with me in understanding these differences.

"With craft, and not with art, there is “a distinction between planning and execution” such that the “result to be obtained is preconceived or thought out before being arrived at.  The craftsman ... knows what he wants to make before he makes it.” 

"If the creation of the work of art is as much an exploration and a struggle and a discovery for the artist as for the audience, then the artist becomes in a sense a member of the audience too."

"It is not, then, the medium or even the person that makes art art and craft craft.  It is rather the character of the making involved.  As all arts in some way involve techniques that can be taught and learned, that are to some extent governed by rules and routine, and that produce a preconceived result, all arts involve craft.  And most crafts beyond plumbing and auto repair can be expressive, can explore the novel and undiscovered possibilities of a medium — and hence can be in that respect arts.   But there is no mechanical way to discover in an artistic performance the elements of art and of craft.  In making these distinctions we are delivered into a grey and nebulous area which called for aesthetic judgement.  Craft is, in fact, one of the borderlands of art."

The Difference Between Art & Craft by Denis Dutton

Becoming an Artist

My name is Beth Budinger Fahlberg, and this is a blog about my journey in becoming an artist. I've decided to create this blog to chronicle my evolution -the knowledge, skills and perspectives that shape my creative work.

My journey started in 2011, though I've been interested in art since childhood and I have been creative all my life. For years I have done crafts of all kinds, from sewing to dried flower wreaths to stained glass to dabbling in clay. However, I often followed a pattern or copied an idea I'd gotten from someone else, and there was no affective aspect to my work- no message, emotion or idea behind my work. My purpose in creating was to make something beautiful and/or functional, and to enjoy the process. I developed my craftsmanship skills by doing things over and over with the ultimate goal of trying to make my creation look "perfect" as well as beautiful or pleasing.

Predictability vs. Uncertainty

Craft is predictable, dependable and goal-oriented, with a specific end in sight from the beginning. Predictability calms anxiety, promotes confidence and a sense of being settled and stable. Predictability in the creative process will often calm anxiety, and promote confidence in what we are doing. 

I've learned about the importance of predictability, and the impact of uncertainty in my professional experiences working with patients and families, and in my personal experiences as a family caregiver. I've experienced the anxiety associated with unpredictable outcomes, and an uncertain future. 

While I value predictability in life and in some processes, in recent years as I've grown and become more resilient, I've grown to appreciate unpredictability.  In my work with patients and families facing a limited but unpredictable life span and course, I've realized the importance of  hoping for the best but preparing for the worst. 

When things are uncertain, you live with the realization that you might not have tomorrow or next week, month or year. So you do things right away rather than waiting. You make plans based on what you know: you know things will be hard, so you prepare. You know the end is coming, so you do what needs to be done now, rather than putting it off. Because tomorrow may not come. So you end up taking some risks, and living your life now. And sometimes, the things that you do jumping into life turn out to be awesome, memorable, and inspiring. This can be a very good result of uncertainty. 

Art is process-oriented with an uncertain outcome. It's all about the process. As you face decisions along the way, you make the best decisions you can based on your ultimate goal as well as your knowledge of yourself.  In art, you make some decisions at the outset about your tools and media. You may have a goal in mind (i.e. I want to paint a flower), but in a truly artistic process, the goal, tools and media may change along the way AND (key to art)- that's OK. Being process-oriented with an uncertain outcome, in art the artist is the one who determines when a creation is "done". 

At times the artistic creative process occurs over time. When I revisit a work I often examine it and reflect on it, and think about what I like, and what I would do differently. Based on that reflection, I may change or revise that work. Or, I may try creating a similar form using different tools. media, colors or techniques. As I do so, I compare, contrast, experiment and explore, reflecting, learning and becoming more skillful all along the way.

Dutton says "The craftsman knows beforehand the end to be achieved, or the effect to be produced upon his audience.  The artist, on the other hand, stands in the same relationship to the outcome as his audience. The artist explores the unknown limits and possibilities of his art, the artist is also finding out, clarifying, understanding."  

The reflective process is something I encourage in my nursing students, as I've realized that this reflective and iterative process is one of the best ways to grow, change and develop over time. Does this elevate a learning experience to artistry, rather than simply skillful craftsmanship? 

Outside Influences

As a child growing up in the San Francisco area in the late 60's and 70's (the epicenter of the hippi movement- Haight-Ashbury), we did many hippie crafts that were popular there at that time: Macrame, making god's eyes, tie dye. We even made sand candles at the beach in Halfmoon Bay with our Mom.

Mom has always been creative- photography, silk screen, later quilting. In later years she even hybridized irises to create the flower that she wanted.

I did a lot of crafts in my early years. Sewing in high school, college and my early career. Crafts such as dried flower arrangements in my 20s, then I got into stained glass in my early marriage. I even got into making some lampworked glass beads,  taking advantage of the burgeoning glass art movement all around me in Seattle. 

Between 2001 and 2010 I didn't have much time for creativity. I was raising my young daughter Sarah, and working as a nursing professor, and then caring for our aging parents as their needs increased. During this time I was also going through the process and journey of earning my PhD in Nursing. It was a time of challenge and growth, professionally as well as personally. Once this caregiving and schooling phase began to wind down, I sensed a need to begin creating and exploring again, and realized that I could do this through art. 

As a researcher, I explore and experiment all the time in a quest for new knowledge, both in my clinical work and in my teaching. I've found a familiarity and fulfillment in using this experimental approach in my art- trying different media, techniques and tools. learning how they work and what I can do with them. Reading about art theories- color, form, composition, then trying them for myself. Honing my skills. Developing my confidence. I think I'm becoming an artist, but I don't know that I will ever feel that I have attained that title. 

Artistic influences

One of my earliest memories was in first grade, listening to my teacher Ms. Strand share the story of Vincent Van Gogh while showing us his paintings. I was  hooked on art. At home I spent hours pouring through my Mom's art books. I was especially drawn to Rembrandt's works. My Mom had a Paul Klee geometric print hanging in our home. While I liked the colors, I didn't really understand why it was art- it just looked like lots of boxes in different colors.

Fifteen years later, my friend Marcie and I spent two months in Europe after graduation. We visited lots of museums, along the way reading books about the artist. In Bern Switzerland we had the opportunity to see an exhibition of Klee's work in chronological order. I was amazed to see that his early work looked very traditional, and then later he used more geometric shapes, and then became more and more minimalist. It was like he had extracted all of his artistic knowledge and ability into what mattered most to him.

In viewing this exhibition I began to understand the evolutionary process an artist goes through, learning the rules, then pushing the limits by breaking them. I saw this evolution at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the Munch Museum in Oslo, and in the work of various impressionists displayed at the Musee d'Orsay in Paris. They learned by copying others, experimenting, and then finally finding their own artistic expression that was unique.