ranmasatome

Robert, i'm sure steven can take it like Ronald has mentioned.. in fact, i can see where you're coming from and if i put myself in that view, i think your advise is wonderful. Personally, i think its great that you give honest advise...i like it.. i don't like sugarcoating either and i'm sure steven appreciates your honesty as well. That is also the beauty of aquascaping.. you dont have to get it..and i'm not going to tell you that you get it, and know you have no need for me to..i mean who the hell am i?? That wasn't my intention at all...
i'm sorry that i did use your post as an example but it wasn't meant to pint point anyone.. it was just to show that with any scape.. there are people that understand it and people that don't understand it... and its okay because like i said beauty can be viewed in many ways... some call it beautiful when its scaped in a certain fashion and appeals to the current style, and some call it beauty when it conveys a certain feeling for them, both in my opinion, are good things. This particular scape, i feel, conveys more emotion than the "correct scaping techniques" and all i'm saying is that, that is beautiful as well.

Steven_Chong

Robert-- I can take it, but I just might not agree. With you, I don't, and it's ok if you don't understand what I'm seeing and making.

Ah heck, the choices are all mine anyway. The main reason to post is so other can enjoy my work (if they do), and in case someone does say something that might give me an idea-- like Pjerrot.


(please full size because other wise it'll look too pixilated)

It's important to take in your feedback-- even if you don't agree-- if you're good at listening, you might hear something that'll set something off in your own head. For instance, I don't agree with Pjerrot on almost all points--

but when he mentioned the right side, I thought about it, and realized that it would be interesting to toss out the right side sticks . . . not because I felt claustrophobic mind you . . .

Instead, because that'd expose a lot of straight looking "leggy" part of the rotala, and thus, look even more like bamboo stems!

Plus, now I'm breaking an even bigger rule by showing my "legs." Heck, I have flat before wall syndrom on the right side, breaking one of my own rules, and I love it!

Just goes to show you that every rule, every model, every norm-- can be tossed out if you want!

The important thing is that when you break rules, you do it purposely, with reason, and think about your decisions. That way, you'll learn from it. Like me here.

ranmasatome

Woa.. you went naked!!! haha..
I think if the shadows fell right with your flash when taking the next photo...or if you purposely shifted light so you created more shadows in the scape... it might just work out.

You think it would be better to cover the sandy portion on the right with just a really thin layer of darker green?? Key is its gotta be thin so you can still see the scraggly legs..

Steven_Chong

I think it's interesting.



Well, if there's one thing I can say about this last week, is that my photography and editing skills made a pretty big jump . . .


Fort the road, I've made a final judgement for me about this tank: It's freaking amazing.

Hmm, so after I guess I won't agree with any opinion that says otherwise.

FelixAvery

stop having a big fight you bunch of girls :P

vollphann

This is my first post on this site's forum. I have been watching this scape develop over time on another site. While its not my style, its Steven's. I gave up long ago trying to understand the mind of God(no, Steven, i'm not equating you w/God). Likewise, I gave up trying to understand the minds of artists. To a certain degree, we each have the opportunity to create our own worlds within our little tanks. To that point. There is a difference b/t gardeners and landscape architects. That difference is that landscape architects design things that look beautiful now, not later, using a set of rules from a classroom, and gardeners start with an idea and allow time and nature to guide them and they are not averse to trying new things b/c they aren't bound to some set of rules. While I understand that there are golden rules, numbers, and proportions, I also know that the times I've been diving or hiking in the woods or fields, I haven't taken the time to measure the distance b/t trees or seashells to make sure God is following the rules...I simply enjoy its beauty or oddity. My point is: landscape architects/"aquascapers" try to be even more than God in what they do(true perfection from the outset...that's not been God's way), aquagardeners start with an idea and allow the design to develop and mature and adjust, just as nature itself does. Why should artists, gardeners, and aquagardeners be held to a certain set of rules(contrast, symmetry, artificial randomness, etc.). If there were a perfect design to anything then we would all look alike and so would our aquariums. Steven, I appreciate the time, effort, and thought in your world. Keep it up. It is beautiful to look at while at the same time not being my world. As someone with a science background I have always loved how most great thinkers and discoverers of the world started out failing the accepted educational systems... only to shine with a brilliance that baffles people today b/c they shunned the accepted rules and learned/created new ones. God bless and continue to learn wisdom throughout your life...it will serve others well. Ben

houseofcards

This thread proves just how important (not that it wasn't known already) photo skills and equipment are to aquascaping. Unless we are personally going to tour each other's homes, offices and see the tanks in person it will not change.

Looking at your inspiration for the scape it is very easy to see why so many just "don't get it". I know it's a poor shot, but the picture shows a mass of trees in a tight compact arrangement, truly a monumental task to reproduce in a 60cm tank and see all the detail and beauty. I must confess when I look at the picture sometimes I see a beautiful mountainside and other times I just see a heap of plants.

Whether or not you've recreated what inspirated you in the first place is certainly important to you (and it should be), but I don't think you should be surprised that other's don't see it given the subject matter. I'll actually go as far as to say you probably expected it. I think part of choosing something to recreate in a scape is to see if it's scalable and possible to communicate in the confines of the tank size. I think this one was a strech.

Maybe we need Video! LOL

Steven_Chong

vollphann-- welcome to APC, honored to have your first post on my thread.

House,

It is scalable, it is possible-- in fact, it's scaled, it's done. This scape is as perfect a rendition of the motif as possible with aquascaping. It looks near photo-like. A perfect rendering might not garantee a great artwork, but it is proof that the motif is recreatable-- in fact, it's already recreated. Rendering this close to reality is something I rarely see in aquascapes.

As for communicatable-- I've brought plenty of people around school into my room. College students hanging around the dorm or my friends from classes-- and they all get "mountain." They're not influenced by ADA, so their opinions are valuable in a different way.

You're right that I half-expected that some people would not appreciate this aquascape, but I hoped, that it would be recognized as a beautiful aquascape and something of a different approach.

I guess I'm expecting too much. In my aquascapes and in my posts I'm trying to teach people how to be artists, open minded, intelligently experimenting, and growing. I try to make aquascaping an art community. It's probably too much. I'm asking too much-- there's just not enough experience around, not even enough people with even the basic design skills. Besides which, artists are generally a different breed of people mentally-- very few people have the bravery to break the mold, and self-belief to take the criticism that is unavoidable if one truly is a growing artists who's not a slave to the current styles.

Ah well, all that's left to see is what the judges of the various contests will think. The more I talk about this aquascape, the more obvious it becomes that it's done. It's accomplished what I wanted it to as a piece. If it weren't done I wouldn't be defending it so much.

eklikewhoa

I think the scape is different but great!

It turned out really good and to deviate from the norm "Amano types" it will make great impressions!

gill

Hey Steven,
Another Stunning Scape as usual. More indepth Critque on here than on other forums.

Ha HA wait till they see my monstrousities.