"Shiny Ornaments"

($40.00....mounted on a 1/8" depth clayboard panel)


"Shiny ornaments are the bling that dress the house at Christmas." There are so many shiny and reflective surfaces to enjoy at Christmas. It will soon be gone so enjoy the visual delight. It's everywhere!

Contrast is easy to overlook when designing a piece of artwork. Just having a subject or theme that's exciting can take us all on a flight of fancy until the entire piece is done and we realize that something is missing. More often than not, that something is probably contrast. Harmony is a wonderful thing, but too much of it can lead to boredom.

Take for instance the Christmas balls in a bowl. I think they look great in a glass bowl, but then everything is shiny and reflective. So in the case of this photo, I decided to put them in a wooden bowl which is a totally different material and surface texture. It adds a bit more drama and satisfies that need for contrast. Also consider the size of the objects in your still life shot. If all of the Christmas balls are the same size and kind, that too can be boring...and then there is contrast of color and shape. And on it goes. It sounds very easy to do, but I can tell you from experience that the failure to think about these things is easy to do when trying to make all of the other decisions that must be made to create a piece.

Christmas offers up a lot of visuals that provide ample opportunity to study the design principles of harmony and contrast. Just another thing to think about.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.