Review so far:
I have singled out my favourite pieces/images from my work so far.
I will be self critiquing them and trying to determine where I am going with my project.
Images that I am proud of:
Why do I like this image?
- I enjoy the vivid blues.
- I enjoy the juxtaposition between colour and grey/white.
- I enjoy the juxtaposition between harsh crystals and soft fibres.
- I enjoy the contrast between natural and man made.
- I enjoy the way that the crystals reflect the natural light.
- I enjoy the way that the crystal seems to have been overtaken by the crystals, as if they were alive and devouring the pompom.
- I enjoy the imperfections of the pom pom itself. It is no longer fluffy and inviting, but ruffled and weathered. The crystals are perfect in comparison, in their natural shining form.
How could I improve this image?
- Composition is weak. It would be nice to have seen the back pom-pom alone in better lighting, perhaps on a black background, so that it could stand out alone as a statement in itself.
- I generally prefer using natural substances, but I do enjoy the vivid colour that using unnatural substances gives you. I plan to experiment with growing crystals on pipe cleaners in the future, after reading this blog: http://www.danslelakehouse.com/2015/01/diy-borax-crystals.html
Why do I like this image?
- I enjoy the spectrum of autumnal colours that the leaf shows. It brings colour to the piece. It is even better that the colours are natural and not man made.
- I enjoy that every aspect of this image is natural.
- I enjoy that the vivid yellow of the leaf compliments the vivid yellow of the wasp's stripes. Although they are not visible through the crystals, it makes it easier for the viewer to envision them behind the crystals.
- I enjoy that the wasp is not entirely covered. He is still recognisable as a wasp, due to the single wing and antennae peeking out.
- I enjoy that the wasp seems to be at peace. The image is still.
- I enjoy the contrast between the wasp and the crystals. Wasps are notorious for being dangerous antagonists, and are often avoided - whereas crystals are delicate, innocent, desirable, precious and commonly enjoyed. To see the two together is unheard of.
I find it even more interesting that it seems like the crystals have paralysed the wasp. Crystals are harmless and immobile, whereas wasps have a strong defence mechanism (the sting).
I like to think that it seems like the force of Mother Nature itself has turned on the wasp.
How could I improve this image?
- I could use a better camera to capture the same image, so that the minor details of the wasp are more visible (such as the hair on his antennae, the veins in the wings.)
- I could use better lighting, so that the crystals are more striking as they reflect the light.
- I plan to return to this feature with a macro lens, specifically for capturing the smallest details.
Why do I like this image?
- I enjoy this image for all the same reasons as the image above, only it is with added man-made iridescent speckles.
- I enjoy the extra dimension that the small pops of colour bring. It looks almost mythical.
- I enjoy that the lighting makes the speckles look like they are practically glowing. It is almost magical. I enjoy that aspect of fantasy.
- I enjoy the abstraction of size and place. This is a wasp on a paper towel, but both the wasp, paper towel and even the small circle indentations on the towel, look much bigger than they actually are.
How could I improve this image?
- I will return to this piece with a macro lens and capture the details of the iridescent specs/crystals in high detail, in better lighting.
- I would like to see the wasp isolated on a PLAIN black background, so that the colours are the main focal point.
Why do I like this image?
I think this image is wonderful. It is one of my favourites.
Why:
- I enjoy the lighting, and the way that it successfully illuminates the leaf and glimmers off of every single crystal.
- I enjoy the colour scheme. It is predominantly warm. There are only two main colours here: Honey, and white.
- I enjoy that the image evokes warm feelings, because of the warmth of the leaf. It is a comforting colour. It reminds me of honey, and the crystals remind me of sugar.
- I enjoy the contrast between natural pattern and geometric pattern. They seem to work into eachother. The lines of the leaf are straight and calculated, so could almost be considered geometric themselves. The crystals are sharp, which compliments the sharp points of the leaf's edge.
How could I improve this image?
- The right top hand corner is something that I cannot decide on. It may have been better to have photographed this image on a black background, to make it look much more professional and clean. But I feel that the white background is positive, as it allows the leaf and crystals to cast shadows. The leaf's shadow is soft and solid, whereas the subtle crystal shadows are different, as crystals refract light differently.
Why do I like this image?
- I enjoy this image for many of the same reasons as the image above, although I think that this image has an entirely different effect on the viewer.
- I enjoy that the leaf almost looks skeletal, as the natural lines of the leaf have been exaggerated by the crystal formations.
- I enjoy that the crystals have now become completely white and opaque. They no longer reflect the light, which is unfortunate, but instead they look like solid snow or decay. I think this is an interesting effect.
- I enjoy that it appears that the leaf has been picked up from the snow. This illusion is supported by the way that the crystals have began to crumble slightly near the bottom right corner. It makes the leaf appear fragile.
- I enjoy the fact that the subject is presented on a plain black background. The leaf is full of detail, so a background of any other kind would have made the image too busy. The black background allows the viewer's eye to focus solely on the subject.
- I enjoy that it appears that the leaf has been completely suffocated by the crystals. Although, it is not even clear that they are crystals at all. This ambiguity creates questions for the viewer, which I think is interesting.
- I enjoy that it is no longer clear what is on the crystals. Snow? Frost? Salt? Sugar? Crystals?
How could I improve this image?
- Perhaps the details on the background could be removed completely. If you look closely, you can see the crosshatching of the cardboard that I used as a background. I don't think that it is prominent enough to retract from the piece, but I wonder if a COMPLETELY plain black background would work more successfully.
- Perhaps I could photo-edit this image to add contrast and depth.
See below.
Having experimented with these photomanipulations, I regret to find that I prefer the original photograph after all. Perhaps adjusting the colour was all I needed to do to improve the impact of the piece. See below.
I wondered what would happen if I added some "natural" colour to the leaf, as if it was still alive.
I enjoy this effect, but I think that I still prefer the simplicity of the original image. Adding colour digitally, no matter how "natural" it may look, is not natural. I am a fan of natural, organic colours and patterns.
I tried the same thing with the previous image of the same leaf.
Again, I still prefer the natural, autumnal honey colour by far. But I value the experiment.
I think using a colour that was more "ALIVE" would take away from the impact on the viewer.
The fact that the leaf is almost dead makes it more powerful, because we can see the journey it has gone on.
Images that I am not as proud of, but that I found visually appealing:
Why do I like this image?
- I enjoy this image because of how confusing it is. The reflection of the water is disorienting, as it overshadows the subjects submerged in the water. We know the size of berries and leaves, but the borax beneath looks like snow, which throws off the viewer's perception of size.
Why do I like this image?
I enjoy that it is difficult to perceive. This image is of tiny borax crystals on a plate, shiny and wet with watercolour paints and vivid pigment.
I am mostly drawn to the colour and the shine - plus the fact that it looks like a swirling, shimmering galaxy. I am drawn to vivid colours naturally and would like to incorporate them into my work more.
Why do I like these images? (the 2 above)
I am smitten by the refraction of light and colour.
These are close-up images of glittery nail polish on leaves.
The purple image is my favourite, because I love the way that the natural curves of the leaf show from underneath the polish. I love the combination of artificial and natural pattern.
I enjoy the green image because of the ambiguity, as well as the vivid colour and contrast between the dark leaf and bright speckles.
I enjoy this image for many of the same reasons, but I feel that seeing the entire leaf has a completely different impact.
We know as viewers that it is not natural for a leaf to look like that, but the shape and natural curves of the leaf tell us that it is real.
I think it looks wrong for a leaf to be painted like this, as it is not natural and rare to come across. But, I also think it is very high impact, because it suddenly looks like a piece of jewellery, a gemstone, or a painting of a starry night sky.
I would love to see a whole tree of leaves like this. I think it would look like something from a fantasy movie.
WHAT HAVE I LEARNED FROM MY REVIEW???
1. I have learned that I love contrast, whether that is colour contrast, texture contrast (geometric/natural) or contrast within creation (natural or man made).
Because of this I will continue to experiment with creating contrast and juxtaposition.
2. I love my work much more when it involves colour - whether that is vivid colour, natural colour, artificial colour, or any colour at all.
I would like to be able to inject more colour into my work, one way or another. I feel that colour makes art eye-catching, and colours can tell a story all by themselves.
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