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  #1  
Unread 07-25-2016, 02:08 PM
Sharon Passmore Sharon Passmore is offline
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Default Ranuncula Waltz

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  #2  
Unread 07-25-2016, 08:12 PM
Julie Steiner Julie Steiner is offline
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I like these, but with the green ranunculus I'm having trouble with the transition between the tight, smooth, object-filled curves of the inner flower and the loose, graffiti-like depiction of its outer ruffles. Maybe I'd find it more convincing if some of the inner flower layers were a bit more scalloped as they transitioned toward the outer layers. As it is, the inner layers of the green ranunculus and the pink one at lower right seem the same, so the suddenly irregular outer ruffle of the green one confuses me a bit.

I might also like the background a bit better if it were in a contrasting color, rather than the same color as many of the flowers themselves. Then again, my favorite part of visiting the ranunculus fields in Carlsbad is when I spot a flowers of an unauthorized color in one of the sections.
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  #3  
Unread 07-26-2016, 12:30 PM
Sharon Passmore Sharon Passmore is offline
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Thanks for commenting, Julie. I miss the flower fields in Carlsbad. My favorite thing was looking at them from a distance and seeing the giant swaths of stripes across the hillside.

About this piece, I got the idea of ranuncula in my head in the first hour of working on it. After that I just let myself go abstract with it. Maybe I should change the name? Does it matter, in an abstract piece, that it look just like the flowers? I wouldn't want the title to distract. I guess this makes yours a very useful crit to me, thanks :-) . Funny how a title, which is just a word or two, can have such impact on the way a piece is viewed. I would welcome any new title ideas.

The important part of the name, to me, is "Waltz" because a waltz is fast-fast-slow and this is how it was done. Fast-fast-slow really gets to the essence of what I was feeling about the piece while doing it. I started out with fast finger-painted swirls, and of course, the beading and gluing is very slow. The splatters of solder happened quickly too, in my son-in-law's garage, (thanks to my grandson for collecting them, he "gets" me) and then glued down slowly. There was something interesting about embracing the spontaneity of a fast paint line and then forcing myself to accept it while gluing down beads when every fiber of my being wanted to place them with precision and careful draftsmanship (for example the form in the top right corner.) It was a fun experience.
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Unread 07-27-2016, 10:37 AM
Julie Steiner Julie Steiner is offline
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Personally, I like the title (although the proper plural of "ranunculus" is either "ranunculuses" or "ranunculi"; "ranuncula" is a very common but not-quite-correct version of the plant's name. It's like the "poinsettia," which will always be the "pointsetta" to my mom and thousands of other people, whether or not it's in the dictionary that way).

Isn't the rumba, rather than the waltz, the "slow, quick-quick-slow, quick-quick-slow" dance? "Rumba" would have better alliteration; but I still like "waltz" better in the title. It's more elegant and refined, as is fitting for all those tiny buttons and beads.

Last edited by Julie Steiner; 07-27-2016 at 10:44 AM.
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  #5  
Unread 07-27-2016, 05:35 PM
Sharon Passmore Sharon Passmore is offline
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Ah yes! You are right. A waltz is slow fast fast. How could I make a meter mistake on a poetry website?

Now, if I used "ranunculaceae" maybe it would be more inclusive of all the flower shapes. LOL - spell check is underlining "ranunculaceae" and suggesting "carbuncular". I thought "ranuncula" was the singular. It's been fun looking this up and finding out it means frog.

I really want to rename this now, but "Ranunculus Waltz" has too many hisses. LOL - spell check is now suggesting "avuncular". How about "Avuncular Carbuncles"?

Meanwhile, this is already posted for sale online and has been included in five people's collections (favorites). That affects the position in the search. I don't know what will happen to that status if I rename it.

Well, Rhumba________ something...?
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  #6  
Unread 07-28-2016, 08:51 AM
Julie Steiner Julie Steiner is offline
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I say don't worry about it. Although the title "Avuncular Carbuncles" would, indeed, give entirely new depths of meaning to the artwork, the current heights of "Ranuncula Waltz" are far preferable.
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  #7  
Unread 07-28-2016, 10:58 AM
Sharon Passmore Sharon Passmore is offline
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I'm going for "Ranunculi Waltz", fixing a bit of the inaccuracy and error but keeping "waltz" because waltzes elegant and they spin. Now we will see what happens with my ranunculuses' search status at Artmajeur.

Update - It's all good.
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