One way to give clarity to a problem we might encounter in our painting is to turn the painting upside down, then describe what we are seeing by using Haiku. Traditional Haiku is a three line verse created with attention to syllables. There are 5 syllables in the first line, 7 in the second and 5 in the third. Here is one way I might use Haiku to take an objective look at the small study
below. First, I turn it upside down. To give me focus, I go through the visual elements first--line, shape, value, color, texture, size, direction. I take them one or two at a time and do a haiku describing what they are doing in the study
upside down. It's important not to judge what's happening, but simply describe it, using the Haiku form. It doesn't have to be profound, just descriptive. It can even be silly or lame. Here's a Haiku that describes what I see the color doing: Cool violets and blues (5 syllables) dominate the lower space (7 syllables) stop at greens and orange. (5
syllables) (This description helped me see that I neede to reflect some of those cool blues and violets into the greens.) Here's another describing what the direction and value are doing: Dark clings strong to top (5 syllables) curving gently side to side (7 syllables) lights repeat the curve (5 syllables) (This works fine, so no need to edit.) HOW IT WORKS, WHY IT WORKS Often we can't see what's happening because we continue to repeat the way we are looking at it. Turning the painting upside down helps change our viewpoint. Then, by changing the way we describe WHAT we are
seeing to a form other than our usual way of speaking, we break down the barrier of "brain chatter" by having to rearrange the vocabulary we use. If you use your fingers to count the Haiku syllables, you can use your brain to find the right words to describe what you are seeing within that syllable count. Have yourselves an enlightening weekend!
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Happy Painting,
Dianne
dianne@diannemize.com
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