Focus

John Reidy · 05-09-2006, 05:20 PM

Steven,

Thanks for the postings. I'd like to ask you to please keep your eye out for my next post. It is a piece I just finished today and my goal was to create depth and a focal point. I would appreciate your views.

I will allow about a week for it to dry and then I'll photograph it for my portfolio and a post.

Steven Sweeney · 05-09-2006, 05:42 PM

Glad to, John. An advisement, though, that I'm hitting the road for an extended period, through early June, so don't read anything into a nonresponse, or at least a very tardy one.

Steven Sweeney · 05-09-2006, 05:51 PM

By the way, since it's now available for viewing, Marvin's PSA prizewinner is a strong case-in-point for focus, and it calls into play the note in the "addendum" above. The piece is detailed and rich throughout, and so his focus is largely a matter of value. Squint at the image and all question about what the painting is "about" dissipates. The remainder of the painting supports that focal area.

Ngaire Winwood · 05-11-2006, 04:16 AM

Steven your article is very well written, once again. Thanks for the compositional clarity.

I always love reading your articles as you have a knack of portraying your ideals and knowledge that you want to focus on in a way that is very student friendly and not filled with ambiguous words.

You should be making your millions as a arts writer/teacher.

Hope your journeys are sure and safe.

Steven Sweeney · 05-13-2006, 07:47 PM

I couldn't help but steal this from a news story from today's fodder:

Niccol

John Reidy · 05-15-2006, 11:28 PM

Steve,

Here is the painting I refered to concerning focus. My intention was to create depth and a focus point. I needed the depth to pull off the piece and the composition lent itself to a composition to force the eye to the action of the subject.

Here's the post from the unveiling section.

Steven Sweeney · 05-16-2006, 10:08 AM

[I have to preface the following by saying that when I opened your image up this morning on a different monitor using a better browser, the effect was markedly different from what I was looking at when I wrote the following and made the image adjustment. It may well be that in another day, my take on this would be different, but that "other day" will be in mid-June sometime, so I'll just post this for whatever use you may be able to make of it.]

Okay, John, as I wrote elsewhere, this is nicely executed, a thoughtful capturing of another artist at work, in his