The Golden Mean: Drawing in your viewer

Since ancient times the golden mean has been used as a reference point for designing buildings, sculpture, and two dimensional art. The value of the golden mean is just as relevant today as back then.
Unlike conventional composition guidelines of using thirds to divide up your canvas, the golden mean relies on a .618 ratio. What does this actually mean? The way you place your focal point using the golden mean is different than the simple rule of thirds.

Let me enlighten you on how to use the golden mean when you are designing your compositions, what difference it means for your viewer and how to lean into this tool to developing exciting/dynamic paintings.
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I will share some real world examples of paintings that I used the rule of thirds and those that I used the golden mean. It is truly fascinating. Watch the Youtube video to see the entire presentation. (Link at the bottom.)

If you are new to my space let me share a few details about me. 

- Senior Signature Member with the Federation of Canadian Artists
- Member with the Oil Painters of America and The South Surrey/White Rock Art society.

I have a visual art degree from UBC and attended the Alberta College of Art and Design in
Calgary. I’m also a Certified Professional Life Coach and a Certified Goldsmith. Education has been a bit part of my life for some time.  

1 March 2019 I committed to my art full time. I soon realized that there was a lot a didn’t know. Despite having had a few years art education, it had been a long time since I’d been immersed in art and frankly, I wasn’t taught what I now needed to know. In fact I had very little support in developing my skills while at art school. I was even waltzed out of class by a third year art instructor with the comment “Sweetheart, this is clearly not for you.”

Over these past few years, I’ve spent a considerable amount of time with my nose in books, 54 different art related books, so far, and hours on the internet/YouTube/and in mentors online classes.

What is very clear aside from mastering the material is that the preplanning of a painting is super important. You can be very skilled with your materials but if you have designed a bad painting it doesn’t matter about those skills. (I’ll show you a failed painting in a bit, or rather a painting that could use some tweaking)

That’s the trouble, as you progress and learn you look back on older pieces and see what you could correct. 

As artists we have some significant limitations, namely the two dimensional surface we have chosen to work on, and some really great opportunities. With the use of Notan- the relationship between dark and light objects in the image, colour, framing, leading lines, focal point, values, hues etc. we have a broad range of tools to draw from.

To clarify, I’m not here to tell you that your methods, up to this point, are wrong, however, I’d love to share what I’m leaning into, my enthusiasm and if your are curious about it, perhaps you’d like to explore it for yourself.

The Golden Ration or Golden Mean was first spoken about by Euclid and Pythagoras back in about 300 BCE. That’s a long time ago. You may have also heard of the fibonacci sequence. It was first spoken about in India between 200-300 BC and brought to the Western world around 1200 AD with the writing of Leonardo Pisano Bonacci, later known as Leonardo Fibonacci.

The sequence is: 0,1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21 etc.

In the 1500’s Leonardo Da Vinci used the sequence in his writing “De Dinvina Proportione.”The golden ratio in art creates a balanced relationship that the mind’s eye loves. More precisely, it is about obtaining a precise ratio between the different parts of a work, an image, or an object. The value of this number is 1.618. It is said to create harmonious works as it has been observed in nature.

Let me show you some examples.

I recently presented my findings to the Central Okanagan Chapter of the Federation of Canadian Artists.  Here is the Youtube recording of that presentation. 

You tube: Click here. 


Here are the resources that I speak about in the presentation. 

Golden Ration Downloadable overlays.
http://parksphotos.com/goldenoverlays/

Photoshop Elements. One time purchase, no subscription.
https://www.adobe.com/ca/products/photoshop-elements.html

Ansel Adams and how his images and the golden ratio align.
https://www.boredpanda.com/golden-ratio-photography-ansel-adams-elliot-mcgucken/
#:~:text=Ansel Adams is one of, human brain as inherently beautiful.

The old masters and the golden ratio
https://www.artandobject.com/slideshows/golden-ratio-revealed-7-masterpieces https://

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