Black and White

Does Color Get All the Fun?

Last week I wrote about color and how people are drawn to different shades of the rainbow. When you ask someone there favorite color, most people don’t say black, although every women’s closet begs to differ. (How many LBDs do you have?) Black and white are fundamental and evoke emotions in their form rather than in their color. If you’ve ever looked at Ansel Adams’ photography or seen Jackson Pollock's "Number 14-Gray", you would see how absolutely stunning black and white can be. 

Back in design school, you had to master most things in black and white before you ever went near color. Learning to see and express forms in drawing always started with a simple graphite pencil. Logo design began in black and white, positive and negative space. If it didn’t work in black and white, chances are it wouldn't work in color. Layout and typography worked the same way. The letterforms had to work in black and white before color could be applied. 

The basics of photography were also taught in black and white. Instead of colors, you had light and shadow creating gradations. I remember having to print my photographs in Ansel Adam’s “Zone System”. Each print had to have the blackest black and the whitest white and nine perfect shades of gray in between. If it didn’t, it was back to the dark room.

Black and white sometimes gets a bad rap. They are dramatic on their own, but they can anchor and balance color and make hues stand out in a piece of art. In graphic design, I learned a from my high school art teacher, Mr. Brodman, was “white space is your friend”. There are also beautiful images that have no color at all. My favorite examples of these are shadows. Black, gray and charcoal images on the ground or the side of a building created by light. Sometimes dramatic and harsh and sometimes soft and subtle. They have no color themselves, but their dark forms against objects can be magnificent.

I think there is should always be a good balance between black and white and color in all aspects of life. But as far as designing and creating, ideas always begin for me in a black and white sketch then develop into black and white forms. Color always comes much later. So as much as I always say I live a colorful life, which I do, it always starts at black and white.

Shape, Color and Texture Oh My...

I love, love, love taking pictures...

Sometimes I wonder if I should have been a photographer. My education was in graphic design, where I was first introduced to the camera. Photography was a large part of the curriculum and I learned everything old school in the darkroom. I didn't go further with it because I hated the chemicals (if I had only known the digital age was literally around the corner). 

What my graphic design education really taught me, above all things, was to really “see” the world around me. Really look at things for their form and characteristics. I see objects as line, shape, color, texture and pattern before I really see what the object is. For this way of observing the world, I have the deepest gratitude toward my professors at The University of the Arts. 

I love taking pictures of nature, but I really love taking pictures of things like sidewalk cracks, rusty objects and unusual shadows. My favorite is peeling paint. When I am out with my friends sometimes they look behind and wonder where I am. I am usually back a half of a block taking a picture of something that inspires me. Most of them now know not to worry, Ilene’s just taking pictures, she’ll catch up. 

The photographs above are a collection of six shots I took of peeling paint. I wanted to do something with them for the longest time. Then one day I mentioned in conversation to someone “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” and it hit me... “Its all about what’s underneath.” The peeling paint layers were perfect for the message I wanted to convey so with a little help from Photoshop, I created this series to hang in our dining room. 

I continue to take lots of pictures wherever I go, sometimes too many, thanks to the age of digital. I weed through my library and upload the ones I like to Flickr, my online portfolio, so I always have them for inspiration wherever I am. Here’s a link to my Flickr portfolio.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ilenepricedesign/sets/

Thanks... and My Photography

Thanks... and My Photography

Wow, I can taste summer! As I said in my last entry, it can't come soon enough. I want to thank everyone who has been so supportive the last few months. Starting my own business has been very exciting. It was a long time coming. I knew I would get a good response from my designs, but what was such a surprise to me, was the comments I have been receiving about my photography.

Photography is just a visual sketchbook for me of line and texture of shape and color. I enjoy recording anything and everything that sparks something in me. The photos were really only for me to look at and get inspired to create. Now that I have shared my pictures with family and friends through my website, I realize they speak to others as well. I couldn't be more thrilled! I'll keep adding pictures to my albums from now on as I take them and share them with all of you.