Movement
I was quite happy with this piece, for its ability to achieve some form of perceived depth and the mind-bogglingness that characterizes Op(tical) Art. I was particularly glad with the way the lines (both the angular and the round) worked together to create a somewhat harmonious piece.
I however, was quite disappointed with the craftsmanship. In order to achieve the many alternating black/white shapes that Op Art demands, I was unable to cut and paste the different elements with perfection. Additionally, the small spaces in between the cutouts made it extremely difficult to remove any Paper Cement residue.
Also, while the "movement" effect was achieved, I feel that it was only to a small extent. The eye is drawn to the center of the piece, but not forced to move "in, out, and around" the piece. This is something, I think, that characterizes movement - that it leads the eye to move throughout the piece, not just to one area.
Nevetheless, the making of this piece, though extremely time consuming, was quite rewarding - when the two sides pieced together accurately, it was quite.. satisfying :)
Movement
I like the clealiness of the piece, and out of all my Op Art pieces, I think this is the least elaborate (read: simple and economical). Additionally, it clearly displays repetition in Op Art, as the diamonds are gradually squished at the top and create a kinda of "going over" feel.
During the critique, however, I realized that repetition did not necessarily mean that the same shape/pattern had to be repeated throughout the piece. Instead, varying, even contrasting, shapes should be included to create a more dynamic and interesting piece.
As such, as much as I like this piece, it may edge on the more "boring" side. Thank goodness that the "Op Art" feel, in my opinion, makes it a little more interesting.
Emphasis & Economy
This is my piece for Emphasis and Economy. It took me two whole days to finish because of the tiny tiny tiny pieces that I had to measure/cut/paste, and I feel that the biggest pitfall of this piece is the craftsmanship - like the Movement piece, lots of cement residue was left and could not be removed without damaging the cutouts.
Additionally, I feel that this composition could have been stronger in creating a 3-D effect, as it gets a little messy in the middle.
In achieving Emphasis and Economy, however, I feel that it quite obviously shows both, although to varying extents. Because the 3-D effect was not as strong as I hoped it to be, the pattern in the middle was not as "emphasized" as I hoped it to be.
Balance
When I first started out on this piece, the circle in the middle was placed in the dead center of the square. I wanted to upload a photo of it but I only just realized that I submitted it with the rest of the project, so can't have it here. Anyhow, the initial idea obviously displayed balance in a quasi-(Ying & Yang) style, but it proved to be a little boring. By tilting the angle of the circle, and placing a smaller optic circle on the opposite corner, I was able to achieve a slightly more interesting and dynamic piece.
By doing this, however, I feel that the tilt took away the balance in the piece, and it now had to be read in a deeper way. I'm still trying to understand how balance is determined (specifically) in a conceptual manner.
Hope you enjoyed! I really enjoy Op Art, and definitely hope that my pieces fit the category. I do however realize that Op Art isn't the best form of art to work with Goauche, since there's both numerous and tiny pieces to work with. My errors in not taking care of the Goauche surface, not cutting as accurately as I hoped, and being unable to handle and paste the tiny pieces - these failures did not give justice the effect that Op Art soughts to establish.
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