Scatter Composition

Composition is sometimes considered a matter of controlled placement. Which it is and isn’t. The thing is, I don’t believe control is the best word to explain what composition is about. I would say it is more specifically about choice. Where do you choose to place elements in your piece? What relationships or connections will that placement convey? Are your choices conscious or intuitive or do you leave it up to chance? I don’t recommend leaving it completely up to chance but allowing for a lack of control in pattern and placement can create wonderfully expressive results. When you choose to use this.

I want to look at compositions that choose a scatter approach this week to demonstrate when and how this choice works. We see this in nature all the time–the starry night sky, the growth of lichen on a rock or the fallen leaves strewn across the ground in Autumn. But for all the seeming randomness, there is a relationship and cohesive elements in all these.  This is what you want to bring to any composition with random or scattered elements.

Natalja Ivankova, Belarussian in living in Slovakia, took the randomness of Autumn leaves and translated this type of scattered composition to create this perfectly balanced bracelet.

Her approach is more evocative of the feeling of Fall than being a literal representation. The colors and small scattered bits are what bring the season to mind as well as being the cohesive elements. Rather than relying on a discernible pattern to hold the composition together, the limited color scheme and the loose organic shapes and placement of the bits of clay anchor the look of the bracelet. This makes a composition that could appear chaotic, if she hadn’t chosen these limitations, actually feel serene.

I think this piece, by far,  is one of Natalja best to date and I really look forward to seeing what other gems she brings us in years to come. She is obviously inspired by nature, especially the floral variety, as well as gathering small elements together. You can find more of her work on her Flicker page and on her blog.

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