"Practice and Perseverance"

(unavailable)


"Practice and perseverance are the bread and water of success." Often we think of practice in relationship to learning a skill. Equal attention given to developing and practicing good habits is also important even if a particular skill is not involved.

After creating pouring medium pieces non stop for almost three weeks now, I am even more aware of the importance of "echoes" and contrasts. An echo is simply a repeat of something that is always there, but it doesn't need to be an identical repeat. In the piece today, I consider the line engraving an echo of the erratic band of brown and black at the bottom because of the shapes. But it is also a very good contrast between precise lines and erratic lines and contemporary vs. antique. The two shapes play off of each other very well. And even though the line engraving could be considered a floating shape with no connection, it is integrated because of its transparency and precisely because it is an echo of something already there.

This is the "tricky" part of design that is only realized after doing something over and over again. Placement of the line engraving was also important. By placing it high on the page and almost dead center, it mimics the format of a traditional document where there were headings like this and perhaps a similar ending at the bottom. So I brought it into a contemporary format by having the band of color at the bottom mimic the line engravings I've seen in so many historical documents. And, of course, this look is one I am passionate about and hence the Spencerian Script rather than gestural writing which would have been inappropriate for this look. And if my thought processes have worn you out, be encouraged. They wear me out everyday as well, but fortunately or unfortunately for me, I have a very analytical brain! And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.