There are a number of ways that attention may be attracted to an important area of a design to give it emphasis.
- by using contrast (hue, value, or intensity)
- by lines leading the eye to it
- by intricate/unusual details within area
- by grouping objects/shapes within area
As a general rule, a focal point is the result of one element differing from the others.
This piece is essentially an overall pattern consisting of spirals on a foundation of geometric shapes. The one element that is the most different is the centrally located block. There are a number of factors that contrast it to all the other blocks.
- It is the only white in the quilt
- It is isolated in the center
- It contains written numbers and letters
- It has intricate and unusual shapes grouped within it
As much as that focal block has going for it, it was a challenge to not detract from it with the other fabulous round robin blocks that I was committed to use in this composition. Segmenting five of them to make repeating colors and patterns made it easier. Adding paint to two others helped blend them into the mix. All the other background pieces were chosen or created to fill in or to support/balance the whole design.
The block with the medium-light aqua deconstructed spiral on a bright yellow background was my primary concern. The cut up pieces are placed diagonally to draw your eye through the center of the quilt. I'm grateful there are yellow stripes in that center focal block to carry more smoothly across it. Even without the stripes my intention would work because yellow and white are so close in value. I also added spots and strips of yellow throughout the composition to balance and support that sweep of brightness across the quilt.
To counteract/balance that strong diagonal flow of color there is a definite diagonal patterning that crosses it between the other two corners. The result is in an "X" through the quilt with the focal point in the visual crossover. There is also a strong horizontal pattern created by the frame around the center section. I've also kept most of the brightly colored small circle/spirals in the vertical center of the composition. These vertical and horizontal patterns form a cross "
+" through the center. In effect, this is a radial composition.
However, it's not "read" the way a usual radial pattern is seen ... multiple elements pointing to one item. My eyes focus on the white center block first, then are drawn up the yellow path to the upper right corner, back to the center top by the orange and light blue, then they follow the brightly colored circles down through the center to the bottom edge of the quilt. The two lone circles and the bright, light blue just to the right attract my attention to make me linger a bit before the strong yellow pulls my gaze to the bottom left corner and then back up to the white block in the center.
I haven't meant to dictate how this piece should be "read". However, I'm curious to know if your eyes follow different paths from mine.
As most of you know, a photo doesn't duplicate the actual colors. In reality the yellow beams like a light from this quilt, whereas, the orange beads in the "butterfly tongue" spirals in the center section shine more brightly in the photo. Also, the focus block is sparkling white because of the dark contrasting shapes on it as well as surrounding it. The light valued blues are quite true in the photo. In the black and white version below those orange beads disappear.
A "rule of thumb" I have for keeping attention within a piece is to arrange a visual sweep from upper right diagonally to the lower left. This counteracts our natural tendency to read patterns from left to right ... and on out of the picture. For that same reason I have strongly featured border patterns in that lower left corner to block the exit and draw your gaze back to the bright colors in the quilt.
And here's a tracing of all the spirals.
To my eyes, both look balanced and have a good distribution of the shapes.
