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Lesson
Two - The Seeing of Spaces
Like every craft art has its language. In
studying any endeavor if you will learn the "words" or the
vernacular, then the practice becomes easier. Some of the words we have
already learned are: Depth or perspective, Area, Line, Value. Shorthand (DALV).
Now, let us look at three more words to learn.
(1) One is: FORMAT
(2) Two is: NEGATIVE SPACE
(3) Three is: POSITIVE SPACE
A variety of formats
FORMAT is simply the shape of the drawing
surface which is usually rectangular. However, circular is fun, and even
triangular is possible. A couple of years ago I painted a picture on a
large circular shape. Around the outside area of the circle was a very
dark value. Against this dark value I painted the long stalks of ripe
wheat in golden colors. In the center of the painting was a tiny grain
storage building called a grain elevator which was made small by its
distance. Also small going back into the picture was a man on a tractor
plowing long rows readying the ground for fall planting after the wheat
had already been harvested. I can tell you when a senator who was also a
wheat farmer was pleased with the work I felt successful in having created
a good composition.
For some reason the left brain does not
deal well with empty spaces. It cannot name them, recognize them or match
them with stored categories. It cannot produce ready-made symbols for
them. The left brain is rather bored with spaces and simply refuses to
deal with them. The following exercise takes advantage of this left
brain's way.
Positive and Negative space
NEGATIVE SPACE: Exercise:
Gather some objects-scissors, keys,
anything small enough you can trace around on a sheet of paper. What you
have traced around is called the POSITIVE SPACE. The space outside the
object is called the NEGATIVE SPACE. In order to see this better take a
black marking pen and fill in the Negative space.
Learn to study the work you wish to do in
this manner. You will focus your gaze on the NEGATIVE SPACE. You will need
to hold your gaze there for a moment, whatever it is, a barn, a vase in a
still life, of a face. The left brain does not at first want to give up
its authority but if you continue to gaze at the negative space it will
finally relinquish its hold and pass the problem over to the right brain.
Practice this seeing of negative space until you are able to shift back
and forth from space to space waiting for the positive space to come into
focus.
What probably happens is this. The left brain
not being able to deal with spaces, as one gazes at the negative space, it
stops intruding with what it knows about the object and lets the right
brain take over to draw what is really there. The left brain is very
strong and if I happen to try to work when I am tired for a moment I can
become so sleepy until I shake the control of the left brain away and
allow my mind to see the object as it is, often coming wide awake. Now in
drawing the one shape, you have, of course, draw the other.
POSITIVE SPACE:
As you draw, make a mental note of how you
feel, the loss of the sense of time, the feeling of focus in onto the
object, the wonderful sense of amazement and the beauty of really seeing.
Everything you need to know in order to do a drawing is there. |
