[-photography, practices-]

Curvyques

Originally uploaded by suzeque.

This photograph is taken by my cohort [and, btw, sister] Suze and is an image from Texas, taken in San Antonio.

I’m crazy about it. But why?

Taking the time to analyze what we love about someone else’s work is a useful exercise. Heightened awareness can only help to make our own work more instinctive and personal and therefore, better.

This is what I like about Suze’s image: The composition is beautifully balanced without being predictable. The colour contrast between the graceful curlicues and the background is lush and the colour combination unusual. Then there’s the texture on the green metal, the layers of paint - light green, darker green yellow and more - and the rust, which I love. We might as well revere rust for its beauty since it’s inevitable! But in the interest of heightened awareness, let me just ask myself, why? Why is rust so great?

It isn’t predictable. It eats through surfaces irregularly. It makes the surface not only visually variegated but also texturally varied. It adds as it takes away.

Any ideas on rust?

Thanks, suzeque, for your curlicues!

See Suze’s other articles on the PCQ.
See photographs of lots of gorgeous rust and other beautiful signs of aging on our Patina page.

Suze Corte is a writer, artist and pre-school teacher in Houston, Texas. In 2007, she was chosen as be the Houston Area Association of Educator’s of Young Children’s Teacher of the Year and the Texas Association of Educators of Young Children’s Teacher of the Year. Congratulations, Suze! It is a well-deserved recognition.

Originally published in the original Practically Creative blog, March 2006; edited for re-publication