My Artist Palete
James Whistler was an American born artist, and most of you know him by what is regarded as his best known painting…Whistler’s Mother. Since my background is in painting and not photography, I spent time taking courses in Art History, and have studied several American and European painters. I was recently looking through an Art in America magazine and came upon one of Whistler’s quotes.
I show people how to incorporate into their photography the elements of visual design both in my online class with the BPSOP, and in my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops I conduct all over the place. That said, I found his quote to fit right in with what I give to people that I work with…an Artist Palette.
This quote is also predicated on the fact that a camera on a tripod is just like a blank canvas on an easel. We are artists who have chosen a camera instead of a paintbrush.
When I say Artist Palette, I’m not referring to a palette filled with various pigment. I’m talking about a palette that has on it the elements of visual design: Color, Pattern, Form, Shape, Texture, and Balance.
So if you’re with me so far, then his quote will make more sense. Whistler once said, “If you cannot manage your palette, how are you going to manage your canvas?”.
By using the right side of your brain, the creative side, you can imagine all the elements all the time as they are there in your imagination…all the time. Managing your Artist Palette means just that. Managing them as part of your thought process when looking for subject matter.
These elements are not necessarily the subject, but they can enhance whatever subject you have decided on. These elements are there to create a stronger bond between your subject and any other centers of interest. Remember that the more things the viewer can discover when looking at your photos, the longer he’ll stick around.
In the above photo I was working with photographers that were in Houston for my workshop. We were shooting at a ranch and as I walked by this barn I looked in and brought up my Artist Palete I always keep in the back of the left side of my brain. I immediately saw Patterns, Shapes, Texture, and Color; the light was the bond that tied all of the elements together.
For those of you that have taken my online classes and have also taken my workshops you’ll know how much I stress using these elements to create stronger images that can stand the test of time; as the paintings off James Whistler and so many other American and European painters have.
Visit my website at: www.joebaraban.com, and check out my workshop schedule at the top of this post. Come shoot with me sometime.
JoeB
