"Lines and Boundaries"

($40.00.....6" x 6" mounted on a 1/8" depth clayboard panel)

"Lines capture visual space much like boundaries protect our goals." No one likes to be excluded so it goes against the grain of most people to set a boundary that protects the time it takes to achieve a goal. It is difficult to negotiate, but boundaries are really the only way things get done. The person who cannot say "no" is the person perpetually frustrated trying to please the whole world.

Before the spring comes and leaves cover the trees once again, try to take note, sketch, or paint some tree limbs. It is a great way to study division of space created by multiple lines. Trees will give you the opportunity to see how they intersect, form diagonals, and even very straight lines. I've been doing a study of them for a long time with my camera, but I also plan to draw some as well. It will also give you practice in how branches jut off from the main branches and how the graduated effect of how they get smaller as they get further away from the trunk. It's quite fascinating.

Even though I have been writing more expressively and experimenting with some gestural forms, this piece was screaming out for one or two lines of script. When a piece has this many diagonals, I don't think it looks good to also introduce more diagonals and freely written letters. The piece needed a couple of straight lines.

I did use a lot of soft pastels and pencil lines to accentuate the image that was already there in the photo. It was a photo taken in Sedona, Az., with rock formations in the background. Not everything can be the focal point so it is very good to edit by choosing what to emphasize. Don't hesitate....but get your camera and get some shots of those trees before the spring. Just a few more things to think about.


Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.