Abstraction in Creative Design

By Deen Day Sanders

[Editor's Note:  Reprinted from the Spring/Summier 2008 issue of Design Dimensions, CFAA's member newsletter publication.]

Abstract Design is a creative art form in which plant material and other components are used solely as line, form, color, and texture, along with space, to create new images. Picasso used this definition well in his sketch of a bull. First we see a realistic bull. Then as each sketch follows, more and more detail is eliminated until only lines to suggest the bull remain. This is called disintegration in "Form," pp. 52-53 in Disintegration of Form by Erich Kahler. Other reference materials used in this article are from the following:  New Concepts for You, The Creative Arranger by Helen Lindsey Lee, Abstract Art by Elsa Nelson, Handbook for Flower Shows, Encyclopedia of Judging and Exhibiting by Esther Hamel, notes of Ann Creighton, various materials from workshops and from the NGC Flower Show Schools.

Abstract designs are essentially kept free of extra details. Give the viewer an instant picture. If the designer utilizes the elements in a totally unexpected manner, communication with the viewer is instant. For example, instead of placing a piece of driftwood in an upright position with the heavy part at the base, turn the wood upside down and put the weight at the top. Dare to be different but use the principles of design.

Construction
Construction will give us one of the easiest means by which to determine whether a design is abstract or not. The traditional way of constructing a design was to have all lines radiate from an area of interest at or near the single point of emergence, with interest tapered to the outer edge or extremities. Remember, we used containers with a single opening. We always created a focal area or an area to draw the eye to where all lines would meet. This is called radial construction, and it is a definition we must understand if we are to compare this type of construction to that of abstract construction with interest equated.

Interest equated means that there is no focal area. The interest is over the whole design, with no single point of emergence required (the entire design is seen at once). Here we can use containers with several openings. This is not to say an abstract design has to be made in one of these containers, but such a container gives us almost instant interest areas.

Abstraction of Components
In addition to the different type of construction used, there should be an attempt to abstract our forms, shapes and lines. The forms we select for our abstract designs should be bold, interesting, eye-catching, extraordinary. If you can find a form with unusual qualities, you already have something that will interest a viewer and give way to questions. Ways to abstract these parts of a design include distortion, disintegration, elongation, inversion, disorganization, compressions, and mutilation. One may find a diseased plant that has a distorted form, or one may pare away the connective tissue between the veins of a leaf to employ disintegration. One may exaggerate the length of a flower stem by inserting it into another longer stem that is not its own, or use a plant form in an inverted manner with the roots at the top, or simply depart from nature's way by using disorder. One can combine small flowers to create a giant flower form, or one can tear and cut away portions of a form.

Principles of Design
The elements and the principles of design contribute to an abstract design in unique ways. Color may be used to isolate or to punctuate; there is no need for transition. Space is integrated into the design and line is employed in its purest form. Texture highlights the unusual, and pattern should emphasize the sparse, with nothing used that is not essential.

The role that balance plays in abstract designs is decidedly different from that in other creative designs in that it is dynamic balance, not static balance. While the objects may be placed apart from each other, the force exerted on the eye is balanced so that interest is equated over the plastic whole. Contrast and proportion are visually stronger with greater heights used in our designs and forceful change manipulated by the various forms. But dominance plays an important part of the unity in these designs, and the background pay be a part of this dominance. There may be many patters of movement because rhythm is created by tensional interest. Rhythm is a visual activity, incorporating a great deal of push and pull, and it does not have to be smooth.

We must remember that a creative design can have equated interest and bear some of the same characteristics of the abstract. Consequently, to have abstraction in a design, one must look at the total number of abstracted forms and ways they have been combined. In closing, bear in mind that the more we depart from realism, the more abstract we become. We must always give the designer the benefit of everything abstract that is used in the design. It may not be pure abstraction, as few designs are, but if the design incorporates several means to reach a logical and desired result, the designer should receive credit for the knowledge and skill used.

As floral artists, we can bring sensations, moods, feelings to our work without reference to known objects, just as the musician can evoke the same response without the need for words.

About the Author

Gardening has been Deen Day Sanders' hobby for thirty-five years. Her Garden Club work holds a special place in her heart.

In 2002, Deen married James (Jim) Sanders and their combined families consist of nine children and 24 grandchildren.

She served as President of The Garden Club of Georgia, Inc. (1987-1989) and President of National Garden Clubs, Inc. (1999-2001).

She is an NGC Accredited Master Flower Show Judge. She served as President of the Atlanta Garden Center and holds teaching certificates in the Sogetsu School of Ikebana.

She has served on the:

Board of Directors - Atlanta Botanical Garden (Chairman of the Board)

Board of Trustees - Callaway Gardens

Board of Trustees - National Fund for U.S. Research Center (Lady Bird Johnson Center)

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