Monday, November 28, 2005

Painting and Stories Alike

The shift in perception that I am going through at this very moment has taken a long while.

Two fields of craftsmanship I had never related to one another are in fact very similar in their fundamentals; Painting and Stories.

Whereas Painting is a visual expression and Stories are an auditive expression, their prime ingredient is the same: CONTRAST.

Bare with me to share this insight.


When you look at the story you want to tell, think about where in the story was the possibility that what was desired-a happy vacation, success in the project, understanding in a relationship-can be contrasted with its opposite- a rainy, nasty day on the beach, a disastrous change in plans, a painful argument.

How we get past the hard part, and still get what we desire, that is what we want to know.


Contrast in Painting takes place when the independent elements that make up a composition also work to emphasize each other's differences. Contrasts of color, texture, or form; of ideas; or motion and static; even the non-visual contrasts of sound and silence create excitement and tension.

All compositions have contrast, even if it is only a contrast of dark and light. High contrast between design elements generates excitement. low contrast compositions are more serene.

To craft exciting paintings or stories, one should set out to introduce contrast.

The same counts for Sculpture (Gulliver by Tom Otterness)...

Photography (Pas de Gulliver by Yazerty)...

and Music.

Why do we need to be excited?

Because exciting paintings, sculptures, photo's, movies, and stories inspire us.

The stories we are drawn to, that resonate in our direct emotional need, in general, are those that give us a reason to make that decision to go forward. They inspire us.

The very word inspire, in its archaic meaning, is "to breath again".

Stories encourage us to take one more breath, to swim up to the surface, above our despair, and live.

1 comment:

Doerak said...

Yes, let us live in joy and peace!