Do You Relate?

We cannot always choose our relationships.

A few years back I was in a heated discussion with a friend about the loyalty of friends and what it means. He was having trouble with connecting with people of whom he deeply regarded as friends and for some reason they were not reciprocating. 

I chose a neutral position, because we often cannot see all perspectives of someonelse's life.

When people choose or rather life circumstances choose for you to separate or distance you from a friend it should not always translate as ill-will. Forcing your will in the situation does eventually create ill-will.

Relationships work well when there are complimentary parts, not forced interactions.

To see a larger version of this image click here:Shell Design 6

But what do friendships have to do with seashells?

It is an interesting observation that so much of art has to do with the stuff of life.

Can you imagine what soulless art looks like?

There is simply no interesting thing to look at. Each part of the composition looks beautifully rendered, yet has nothing to do  with the other parts in it. 

In my last post I talked about patterns and how they help you understand the art you are creating and the art you are viewing. 

Relationships are a form of pattern.

Using Shell Design 6 as an example you can see that each part relates to the other. In the simplest of terms, the contours of each shell relate and compliment the contours of the the other. This creates a harmony between the shells. 

The second set of relationship you may be able to see is the directional lines. They move in and out of the shells keeping your eyes flowing in and out of the piece.

Ultimately, we should always ask ourselves the question: 

Do I relate? 

In other words, do the patterns and relationships in this piece make sense to me or am I just throwing images together for the sake of pretty rendering?      

Take some time and study the artists you know and see what you can learn.