Negatives.


11

Negatives.



When the potter stands at the wheel prepared to create a pot the clay as it turns is moulded creating the important space that will make this pot useful. Without this space, the clay would remain solid and it would not be able to be used to hold anything. It may be a decorative and thought-provoking work of art but without space its use is limited.

When an artist stands before the easel and has a mind's eye view of what will fill that canvas and make it into something that provokes thought and admiration and conveys to others those inner thoughts of the artist. The artist is not only aware of what the painting will contain but will also be aware of what will be left out. The artist will be conscious of both the positive and negative spaces.

When the artist falls into the trap of trying to capture all that the eye can see the end result can be something that does not hold the eye of the viewer. Rather the busyness of the artwork forces the eye to move over the canvas and never rest anywhere.

It is therefore always good to stop, consider not only the positive things that are easily noticeable but take full account of what is not there but still contributing to the overall picture. Sometimes in a conversation, it is not what is said that is important but what was left unsaid.



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