January 23, 2009 In art, graphic design By Patricia Saxton

In Praise of Black and White: Part I

Ansel Adams, Moon and Half Dome

Ansel Adams, Moon and Half Dome

Each year, a new Ansel Adams wall calendar hangs on the door leading to my studio.  His superbly articulated, stunning black and white photography reminds me daily of my love for the natural world as well as the innumerable shades, shapes, shadows and tones that create, change, and emerge from, the world around us.

Yet in a time when everyone wants color, the classic beauty and the powerful visual possibilities of black and white are often neglected.  In the design world, black and white is often completely overlooked or passed by in favor of any use of color.  As if black and white implies something less important, or something dull – even something “cheap”.

But when used well, black and white can be anything but dull, nor without value.  Black and white can be intensely dramatic, elegant and rich.  It can get a strong point across without the distraction of colors.  It can be brilliant or moody, edgy or slick in ways that color cannot.  It can sparkle with cleanliness. Black and white carries undisguised strength, character and integrity … when used well.  Not all photographers have the eye nor skill of an Ansel Adams. Not all designers see in black and white.  Clients rarely consider it.  But it would be nice to see a greater appreciation of the noble duo of black and white.

When people want straight talk, they’ll say “tell me in black and white” – which infers that they’ll get to the truth of the matter.  But more often people speak in shades of gray, or dress it up in garish colors for dramatic effect. So it is with design – a multitude of colors have the potential to become an undifferentiated sea of grays, or gussied up so much the point is lost for the color.

Of course color is beautiful.  As an artist, I can’t help but adore color. Bold, rich fusions of color. Yet color alone will not make a bad design good. And it’s not so much that color is overrated, but that black and white is underrated. You don’t see it alot, which is unfortunate, because the effects of black and white can be pretty spectacular.

It’s a rich experience to see things in black and white; stripped of color, a million shades of gray become a lansdcape of lights and darks that blend and bounce against one another to create a whole. Even if you don’t see things quite like that, a striking black and white image often touches people unexpectedly.  It’s raw and fundamental – and like a good story, it’s satisfying, and it allows your mind to fill in the color that’s left unsaid. Like a well-told story, black and white art can be refreshing, engaging and wonderfully, surprisingly inspiring.

Below is a broad sampling of some pretty nice black & white work. There’s a whole lot more  (though not enough)  than shown here, but it’s a good smattering of styles …

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January 9, 2009 In words and language By Patricia Saxton

A Matter of Words

I love words. Written words. Not everyone has this kind of voracious appetite for words, and I understand that a lot of people would rather talk, or hear words, than read or write them. Maybe it comes with breeding, or DNA. But for those of us who love writing, it’s like breathing; you feel compelled to do it.

As a child, if I wasn’t drawing, I was writing. That pretty much still holds true. I love to write … letters, stories, poems, thoughts – all of it. I love the possibilities offered up with each new ripple of intermingling letters. I like the rhythm and the play of sounds that create a sentence. I love how words flow on a page, how they fall or jump, dance or hum, whisper or smack. I like how they all come together to make sense of something.

I also like that there are thousands of words available to pick from. And I like games where you find as many words as you can from one larger word. I like making words in scrabble. Words are fun.

But I also have a deep respect for words. Spoken or written, they are reflections of thought capable of moving people to personal greatness or ruin, to love, or even war. They can calm, or outright bore. They can repulse or inspire. In a split second, the words we choose to use can hurt just as easily as heal.

Some may argue that words are just talk; words are insignificant. That actions speak louder, I do agree. And true enough, not every word uttered will have the impact to captivate, bring laughter round the world or poison a soul. But I believe that even our everyday language carries far more weight and influence than we realize.

It’s important to be careful with our words; to be mindful of what we say. Maybe to “watch your mouth” as your mother might have said. To take even just a moment before speaking to check the thought.

Whether you love words or not, the world would do well with more respect for the power words can hold.

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January 5, 2009 In advertising, marketing By Patricia Saxton

Selling Dis-ease

I realize this entry may not win me many friends in the Pharmaceutical advertising world, but I just have to ask – is anyone else weary of pharmaceutical commercials on TV? Or is it just me?  I find them incessant, often offensive, and insulting to one’s intelligence. Here’s why.

On the rare occasions when I do actually turn on the tube, 9 times out of 10 one drug ad or another is right there with me. Spewing an idea that if you haven’t already had a particular set of horrid symptoms related to some nasty ailment, you soon, undoubtedly, will. And then you will need such and such medication. Which may or may not make you feel better, and which is almost guaranteed to cause an interminable array of god-awful side effects, even death.

All the while, happy medication-takers are shown walking through sun-dappled gardens with ever-so-pleasant music splattering the background reminding us how wonderful we can feel if we take such and such drug – compared to how completely awful you must feel, or will inevitably feel, without taking said meds.

Number one, I’m irritated that these ads are on when I happen to turn on the TV, which isn’t often. Which causes me to think they must be on a lot more than I realize. They are incessant.

Secondly, I find the bulk of the messaging insulting. The messages, in essence, tell you that you have, or will have, one – or several – of a variety of problems. (Tapping into the aging boomer generation no doubt, convincing people of the inevitability of ill health that arrives with age.) You will most likely have this or that sickness. You will suffer. You will have to have medication. You need to see a doctor now before it becomes a reality. If you have a hang nail, it could be a serious sign of A, B , or C disease and if not treated, you will be one miserable old coot. It will be far worse to be plagued by the rampant discomforts these meds will induce than to suffer the fear that you may possibly succumb to one of these health dilemmas.

The insult is the assumption that you don’t have a mind of your own. That you don’t have a clue. That you are easily swayed and you will then surely develop the very symptoms they are suggesting. Maybe even sooner than expected.

This is good old advertising at its best. It’s called hypnosis. The power of suggestion. Persuasion. Repetitive messages delivered to reach your subconscious mind, so that doubt and worry set in. Placing the seed of need in your mind. It makes me so angry I could spit. (I’m not sure where that phrase originates, but it feels heated and angry, doesn’t it.)  In a nutshell, they are basically selling dis-ease and ill-health.

I am not a fan. And it worries me that people are taken in, convinced. (The ads keep running – must be working?)  They will not seek a healthy lifestyle; they will assume they are headed for the worst. They will not consider that the thoughts they think, and the fears they feel, can aid in the manifestation of unwanted experiences. They will believe that they are, or soon will be, very ill. They will need the cabinet full of pills. They will be miserable. Just like the ads’ said.

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