PICTURE PLANE AND FORMAT SHAPES

 

Picture Plane shapes  and  format shapes, as an Alternative Approach to the Conventional Square or Rectangle.

I would suggest a beginning artist try thinking about Picture Plane Shapes as an approach to designing a new piece of art. For practical reasons, most art work is rectangular, either horizontal or vertical. There is also the square, and the diamond, as well as the Circle and Oval. There can be other geometric shapes, rhomboid shapes, and irregular shapes with angles. Another option is to look at the picture plane itself as a potential for organic shapes cut out of plywood. Shields, of various types are possible as well. Not that you will want to try all of these many possible shapes. Just think about them. Once in a while the shape may convey a special idea because it is so unique, and worth the work.

Next think about putting unusual shapes inside the picture plane. I will use the term format shapes  to differentiate between the outer shape or picture plane and the shape that falls within it. Sometimes the inner shape is defined by the subject itself, especially if it is silhouetted within the picture plane. Refer back to the post of July 18, 2014 to see a composition designed to be presented in a format shape.

There are many innovative ways to present your creation as a different shape, than simply to mat the art work within the rectangle you started with. The format shape may even be presented as an organic shape with no mat.  Although the above illustration is somewhat realistic, the arch and lower rectangle boundaries of the image do suggest the possibilities of using format shapes in your art work, whether non objective or realistic.

This topic was also covered on Mixed Media Abstract Art, another of my blogs. Also on this blogsite, published prior to this one, a collagraph print using a format shape was featured.

Images and Writing are the copyright © of Ruth Zachary