January 6, 2012

Winter Light: On the Floor, Abstract Compositions



During winter the sun reaches into rooms, illuminating objects and stretches of floor. The depth of winter shadow alongside the bright light creates drama, ordered by the lines of wooden planks or linoleum tiles. The cast shape of a plant adds a sense of the random, while the rug plays with a soft geometry.




This hooked rug by a friend, Andy Drummond, swells against the crisp lines flowing from a chair, the whole composition a bit like the tumbled and tilted planes of cubism.




A minimal composition, as floor meets baseboard; the slight diagonals of light and shadow make the static horizontal and vertical more dynamic.




The grid of old linoleum tiles in my kitchen is a minimalist/expressionist hybrid, with bounding squares containing color variations, along with the random spots of dirt to liven things up. The curved form of a chair back adds further changes to the rigor of the composition.




A heart, straight lines, and curves; light catching on a shiny surface, reflected back in the darkness, small imperfections of dust and wear: a nice metaphor for life during these short days of winter.


Some other Winter Light posts:
Winter Light: Through Windows
Winter Light: Teacups
Winter Light: Creatures in the House
Winter Light: Knobs and Handles
Winter Light: Rounds

8 comments:

  1. I like the way you think and how you can convey what you are thinking. The long winter shadows and the soft light are most enjoyable.

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  2. Beautiful post that draws our attention to subtle, stark details. This is also why I like the garden in winter.

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  3. Wonderful post. I'm always fascinated by the way the aesthetic we develop guides our eyes to see in a particular way. So much of this post - and the older ones I visited as well - was a window into how you see and what then emerges in your work. I think I didn't see this as much when I was less mature visually. There's something extraordinary about visual maturity - if that is what to call it.... anyway, guess this is just the curious ramblings of visually inspired artist!

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  4. thanks so much Lisa, Julie and Valerianna; it's nice to know that the images that interest me resonate with others. I can say that my visual awareness has increased and deepened the more photography I do, and the more blog posts I write.

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  5. Inspiring photos! It is hard to write about art and seeing but you do it so well. I think many of us visual thinkers are told that we cannot express ourselves in writing or that we risk flowery nonsense if we do. ALthough I do post as much as I would like to I have seen it helps me to slow down and attempt to put into words the things I see. Knowing that the words are free to not be attached to any particular painting still allows the artwork to speak for itself. THe act of looking and photographing what is seen has been constantly reminding me that the visual field is loaded with so many kinds of "edges" I have been meaning to post a blog about "edges" and will soon. Your photos here are a great example of how edges live in the space. The moments and transition between light and dark, hard and soft, etc. I just love edges! can you tell?

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  6. David, thanks for the comment and your thoughts about edges. It's funny but I was thinking a lot about them in my most recent painting, which I'll blog about soon. Writing always helps me to clarify my thinking, as I see it does for you too.

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  7. Quiet comfort in these photos and a palpable sense of winter warmth.

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  8. Your eye can see that winter light so well, appreciation for it glows in your photos and it finds suitable friends in your household items. Thumbs up!

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