The Elements of Design - Shape

It's pretty hard to discuss shape and line separately from one another, as most lines enclose shapes, so while I've put the photo studies of the two in different posts, they really should be seen together. I've been carrying my little point and shoot everywhere I go, and the following images are of some of the line and shape related things that have intrigued me this week. First off, a boat house, which is just about perfect to me - a house shape painted in some of my favourite colours. And look at those lines - horizontal on the siding, vertical on the door and diagonal in the window. The almost-horizontal

lines of the walkway up to the door complete the design of this much-loved escape cabin for the people who own it. I can almost imagine who they might be . . .

A seed-pod found on a beach in the north of the North Island of NZ - an extraordinary example of intriguing cross-hatched lines within a pleasing shape. I have no idea what plant this comes from, but it's exquisite.

More beach treasures, each a study of lines - lovely, curvaceous lines either inside a naturally occurring rounded shape, or else encloseing the shape.

I really have a thing for roof shapes. I fell in love these two older homes in downtown Wellington, improbably found on a side street, surrounded on three sides by newish modern buildings. Havana, on the left, is reputed to be one of the best restaurants in town, and across the road is Lighthouse Cuba, a repertory cinema of several small galleries, each furnished with a small number of art deco-type upholstered chairs and couches with little tables beside each one for your ice cream or glass of wine or flat white, so you can watch whichever movie you've chosen in ultimate comfort. We went to see Maudie - heart-wrenchingly good. I'm still mulling over the story . . .

Back at the beach (they're never very far away in this country.) here's a clump of recently washed-up seaweed. Are those curving lines, or are these shapes?

Another sort of seaweed altogether, found at the tide line (there's another line I could spend some time studying), in a lovely arrangement, forming a curve shape and with the rounded shapes of storm-worn stones nestled up along side it.

And the curves of the human form (shape), juxtaposed with the horizontal lines formed by the wood slats of the behind him. Yes, I'll admit it. I'm an unabashedly doting grandmother to this almost-two year old, and couldn't resist the temptation to use this photo in this post. After all, we did do all this research together.