Abstract
The first step in developing a geometric language that combines physical and digital processes: sketching with a mechanical pencil. With every sketch I consider the erasure markings, the horizontal or vertical composition, the intensity of each shape or line, the simplicity or complexity of each design, and the symmetry each design may or may not have. My designs reflect the influence of abstract artists such as Wassily Kandinsky and Kazimir Malevich in addition to Bauhaus artists such as Josef Albers and Paul Klee.
The second step is to bring these sketches into Adobe Illustrator software, because it allows for the precision I am looking for in my work. Moreover, in Illustrator I can adjust each line or shape to establish a hierarchy of conversation. I can also control the path of a certain mark, twisting and turning, to produce either an exact geometry or a distorted form.
When this stage is finished, I incorporate color. In each piece, the geometrical figure is illuminated with a bright color on a dark contrasting background. This brings forth the geometry, but also gives the composition a sense of depth in space.
My designs are playful and possess an animated mood that flows within the rectangular space. With each design there is a balance between expansion and contraction and the combination of these two forces produces a geometrical pattern that is distinctive and transformative. In my work I manipulate and organize shapes that together bring about a fluidity of motion. This is the realm within which I make my greatest artistic impression.
Recommended Citation
Dunham, Janelle
(2015)
"Speaking My Language: Color and Geometry,"
Art Journal: Vol. 2015:
Iss.
1, Article 5.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.providence.edu/art_journal/vol2015/iss1/5