Week in Review 2022 – 06/10

Principles of Design

When creating, viewing or analyzing a piece of art my first thought isn’t what principles of design were used. However, I do return to the principles of design repeatedly, especially in cases when the work is compelling, off-putting or just plain boring.

Yellow townhouses with blue windows and doors are stacked in three irregular rows. They are set against a crazy pieced blood read sky.
This week I added a few more townhouses to the village in Bat Sh*t Crazy. Finally, I had enough done to piece this section together. It measures approximately 36″ H x 30″ W. The final piece will be 36″ H x 48″ W.

Unity

I worked on two projects this week. The first is Bat Sh*t Crazy. The other is my blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. I feel good about my progress with both. This is rare. My typical trajectory mid project is to question my sanity and be overtaken by self doubt. Yet, I felt upbeat. Why? Unity, not always included in principle of design lists, but one I value. Unity, is when the other design principles come together to form a harmonious design. You know it when you see it. I’m thrilled when I accomplish unity. Twice in one week, now that is a bonus.

Square pieced units in a 5 x 5 grid with Delft blue dominant march from upper left to lower right.
First of two blocks finished for June’s Rainbow Scrap Challenge. Mid and light value blues are this month’s color assignment.

Principles of Design and You

How about you? Are you aware of the principles of design as you look at artwork, a garden or architecture? How about when you are creating your own work, do you start with the principles of design?

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By Gwyned Trefethen

I am an artist who uses fabric, thread and miscellany to create designs gifted to me by my imagination.

2 comments

  1. For representational quilts I do use PoD but for improv quilts I only start thinking out them when things aren’t working so I can have some ideas on how to fix the problem. Yellow is a hard colour to use in large quantities but the buildings certainly pop off of the red sky.

    1. Fascinating. I may be the inverse. I struggle more with abstract/improve designs. If I have something representational to portray, chances are the POD are so intuitive I give little to no thought to them. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I’m fascinated by how there are so many approaches to creating art.

      Speaking of instinctual, yellow was the natural choice. The village represents Kyiv. So, I wanted to give a nod towards the Ukrainian flag of yellow and blue. Red was the obvious choice for the sky, as it implies rage.

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