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[Wet Thumb Forum]-Thoughts on aquascaping as art

2K views 19 replies 8 participants last post by  Roger Miller 
#1 ·
I just got back from open house at my daughter's highschool. I spent most of the time talking with her art teacher, and walked away with a sort of syllabus for her advanced placement art class. The paper included some thought-provoking (to me, anyway) ideas.

The first and probably most important step in the course is to make a vision statement for your work. As near as I can tell this is a concise statement of your artistic vision; the role your work has in your life and where you want to go with it.

It goes on and asks the students to list 3 specific goals that will help them to achieve their vision. It also asks them to list 3 or 4 artists who they admire and who's work relates to their vision.

I think this is an interesting exercise to complete, with aquascaping as the art in question.

Later the same document asks the students to analyze their own understanding of the technical elements of their art.
The elements of art it lists are;

Line
Shape and Form
Value and color
Space
Texture and Movement.

I thought it was good to examine these elements in the context of aquascaping and to critique my own use and understanding of the elements. It was not good.

It repeats the same exercise with the principles of design and lists those principles as;

Unity
Variety
Dominance
Rythm and Movement
Balance.

Again, I thought it was interesting to look at these elements in the context of aquascaping.

I never took art in school. An organized and well thought-out approach to the whole thing is novel to me. Maybe that's why I found these things thought-provoking.


Roger Miller

"The indispensible first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want" -- Ben Stein
 
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#2 ·
I just got back from open house at my daughter's highschool. I spent most of the time talking with her art teacher, and walked away with a sort of syllabus for her advanced placement art class. The paper included some thought-provoking (to me, anyway) ideas.

The first and probably most important step in the course is to make a vision statement for your work. As near as I can tell this is a concise statement of your artistic vision; the role your work has in your life and where you want to go with it.

It goes on and asks the students to list 3 specific goals that will help them to achieve their vision. It also asks them to list 3 or 4 artists who they admire and who's work relates to their vision.

I think this is an interesting exercise to complete, with aquascaping as the art in question.

Later the same document asks the students to analyze their own understanding of the technical elements of their art.
The elements of art it lists are;

Line
Shape and Form
Value and color
Space
Texture and Movement.

I thought it was good to examine these elements in the context of aquascaping and to critique my own use and understanding of the elements. It was not good.

It repeats the same exercise with the principles of design and lists those principles as;

Unity
Variety
Dominance
Rythm and Movement
Balance.

Again, I thought it was interesting to look at these elements in the context of aquascaping.

I never took art in school. An organized and well thought-out approach to the whole thing is novel to me. Maybe that's why I found these things thought-provoking.


Roger Miller

"The indispensible first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want" -- Ben Stein
 
#4 ·
Phil,

The analysis is great, but that is mostly technical. I think setting the "vision" in the first part is far more important. Like the Ben Stein quote in my sig line infers, you can't get what you want unless you know what you want.

I've always been a little disappointed in the answers that most people give to those questions like "what are your goals in aquarium keeping" because the answers often don't seem to be well thought-out. Maybe this approach -- define a vision and then come up with three goals that will get you there and at least three artists who's work is important to your vision -- will help people define what they want in a little more detail.

Certainly that is how the curriculum writers ranked the importance of "vision." A lot of effort is afforded to the research needed to define the goals and to find those influential artists.


Roger Miller

"The indispensible first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want" -- Ben Stein
 
#5 ·
What if your goal is indiscriminate?

Then you really have nothing to base all this evaluation on. If you just want certain species of plants to grow and look good, and don't really care in what fashion or order, then how do you evaluate that "aquascape" with the criteria you mentioned above?

This begs the question, what is the defenition of "aquascape"?
 
#6 ·
After giving this topic further thought, I guess you could conclude that any take theoretically is an aquascape.

Granted some better then others.

On the two ends of this spectrum, you have those people who make a tank seeing it as a whole, and pick thier plants based upon what would looks the best in a given spot. Ofcourse with an overall vision, Ala Amano. Then you have those who pick thier plants and put them in a spot they will do well in. Ofcourse without regards of how well they may or many not look beside eachother.

I guess this whole evaluative concept is somewhat foriegn to me. I tried my hand at it, and asked others for thier opinions on my "aquascape", but then found myself limiting my plant choices based upon where things fit. That was defanately not what I want.

I have placed things in my tank where I think that individual plant would do best, or that piece of wood would best serve it's intended function, without regards of what it all looked like in the end.

Do you think both means could come to a similar end?

I guess the point is, how could you evauate your aquascape with the criteria you mentioned, unless you planed the tank as an artwork, and still feel somewhat sucessful?
 
#7 ·
Roger,

I guess I just took having visions for aquascapes for granted. I've got more visions for aquascapes than I do aquariums to do them.


I have to say that your daughter is one lucky girl to have teachers like these.

Justin,

I would think that anyone's goals for their aquarium/aquascape could be considered their vision. A lot of people envision a tank where their plants grow well and work towards that goal. I've also seen some great aquascapes that evolved from people putting plants in the best spot and then making small changes over time until things " just looked right".

On the other side of the coin, someone planning and creating an aquascape as a creative outlet or true art would need a vision. The most successful artistic aquascapes I've done have all been the result of lots of prior daydreaming and specific planning. The aquascapes where I've just worked off a general idea tend to need much more adjustment over time to come out well. That's where analysis comes in, I guess.

Best,
Phil


 
#8 ·
This is all pointless unless you are interested in aquascaping as an art. Otherwise, I think there might be some misunderstanding.

The vision in question is not your vision for a specific aquascape. It is your vision for *yourself* as an aquascaper. This is where you ask things like "Am I interested in aquascaping as an art?", "How long do I want to keep doing this?", "Will I sacrifice good plant growth to maintain difficult livestock?", "Do I want my work to emphasize plant arrangements over structure?", "Am I going to make my million this way?" and so on.

Your goals might be things like "Learn how to build an aquascape with substrate relief", "Get a better sense for how to fill a focal point" or "Understand the combination or rocks with wood." To set these goals you need to have a good understanding of your vision, research the skills and pathways to achieve your vision and then define the goals necessary to make that vision work.

Your influential artists may be Amano and Niewenhuesen (probably spelled wrong), or the could be Ron Barter or Diana Berberich -- or Matisse, for that matter, if you find that you use elements of art or design that you learn by studying his work.

Similarly, the analysis of artistic elements and design elements isn't (just) an analysis of a specific aquascape. You are supposed to analyse your use and understanding of those elements, then do the research necessary to learn more about what they are and how you can improve your work by using them.

A lot of the research is a matter of talking with people, trying to understand their goals and visions and studying their use of the design elements and artistic elements. The research might best be done looking at the aquascape itself, rather than at a photograph of the aquascape. Unless the photograph is your medium.


Roger Miller

"The indispensible first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want" -- Ben Stein
 
#9 ·
Its an interesting concept Roger. If you think of your aquarium as an expression of art, and yourself as an artist, then certainly many of the principals taught in art schools would apply.

I found Birgit and Wolfgangs work very inspirational, as well as Dutch and Japanese. I know what I like, but I am not sure how to translate that to something of my own without just copying what they are doing.

Robert
King admin
www.aquabotanic.com
 
#10 ·
Robert,

I don't think there's anything wrong with learning by copying what others do. I don't know how common it is now, but I think it used to be a standard exercise for art students to copy the works of masters. Some young artists trying to develop a style and a market still look for a mentor who will teach them the details of their technique.

To learn from other aquascapers without copying their work leaf-for-leaf you need to study their use of the basic elements of design and art. Critique of other's work -- as well as your own -- is an important step in learning.


Roger Miller

"The indispensible first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want" -- Ben Stein
 
#11 ·
To extend the thought a little...

A painter or scultor to develop their art and technique must paint or sculpt. Over and over. Usually for years. It's a lot of work and usually for little reward. Similarly, I think an aquascaper must aquascape. Over and over. Probably for years. I don't know for sure about that, 'cause I'm not there yet.

I have finally faced the conclusion that I can't learn how to aquascape by setting up a tank, letting it settle in and preening it until I have a mature, well-settled tank that looks great. I have to take tanks down and set them up and try different things over and over.

So far, 10 gallon tanks seem pretty good for practice. They're inexpensive, easy to set up and take down and have pretty good proportions; they're also large enough to use a good variety of plants but not so large that it's difficult to find rocks or wood that are the right size for the tank.

The risk with using mostly small tanks is that the methods you develop won't necessarily translate well to large tanks.


Roger Miller

"The indispensible first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want" -- Ben Stein
 
#12 ·
I'm not entirely sure that just looking at aquascapes is a good background for doing them Roger. I thing it would help a lot to study the works of the great landscape photographers and it would probably be very beneficial to actually take some classes in the basics and art of landscape. After all, we are just trying to create small landscapes in our tanks. I also think that someone with Zen garden training gains a peculiar insight into working within relatively closed systems but also is probably ultimately constrained by that very training unless they learn to see the world in other ways as well. But to just plant tanks without vision is not the best way to aquascape. Good luck in your studies.
 
#13 ·
Hmmm. I don't think most aquascapes are scaled-down landscapes. Some are, but that is a minority. Whatever else you might think they are, aquascapes are aquascapes and probably should be considered as such, not as a version of something else.


Roger Miller

"The indispensible first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want" -- Ben Stein
 
#15 ·
I treat aquascaping as an art form. It is a living canvas on which we paint with plants and fish. By choosing a living medium we also add the dimension of time to it in a way that does not challenge other artists.

It is not about setting up a tank or merely growing plants. We take that for granted in the way that artist pose a model or practice brush strokes.

For inspiration we can turn to photographers and painters. Landscapes are most closely related to what we do, but should never be the only source of vision.

I think all the classic art forms and skills apply to aquascaping. The use of color, form and dynamic are some of the most important.

James Hoftiezer
Hoftiezer.Net - Journals and Libraries
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#16 ·
James and all,

This thread started with some guidelines on self analysis and critique that were intended to help students to "the next level." Do you thing that kind of analysis is useful for aquascaping?


Roger MIller

"The indispensible first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want" -- Ben Stein
 
#17 ·
Sorry .... I promise I was actually going to answer that question .... just ran out of time on the way to work


To start I wanted to reassert that aquascaping is an artform to me. That being said, I think all the traditional exercises of the visual arts apply.

The exercises you have mentioned above will help those people who are approaching their aquascape as a work of art. Even if they have instinctive skill the exercises aid in the development of their ideas and validation of their methods.

It is one thing for an aquascape to be pretty. It is another to understand why it is pretty and beleive that the exercises allow the artist to better understand their work.

For instance, most of us know why we place a center piece off center. It is another thing to know that is is called the optical center, what the golden ratio is and the why of it all.

I think the exercises would be an excellent practice and would make better artists of us all.

James Hoftiezer
Hoftiezer.Net - Journals and Libraries
Rate My Tank!!

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#18 ·
The technology of the "medium" of aquatic art via aquascaping places further demands on the artist beyond normal art, in that the traditional art elements of line, form, balance, etc., are supplimented by the unique technology that this living palette supplies.

All art does have this element, I am familiar with the chemistry of ceramic glazes for example, and yet it is easier to make good art in ceramics without knowing the chemistry than is it is to create good aquascape without knowing the chemistry.

And, I think it is more difficult to master the living palette, the huge variety of potentially available plants, and how they grow under varied conditions. Then there is the interaction between plants and animals, and animals and animals. The rapid growth and change of aquatic designs, as compared to landscape design or floral design, adds to the complexity.

I have enjoyed landscape design for I consider it Art in 4 Dimensions, adding Time as the fourth element, so it becomes sculpture that changes with the seasons and the passing of years. Aquascaping speeds up this time element and adds fish and other life forms to the design. So, while it is smaller, it is also more complex.
 
#19 ·
________________________________________________

This thread started with some guidelines on self analysis and critique that were intended to help students to "the next level." Do you thing that kind of analysis is useful for aquascaping?
________________________________________________

I can see how it might help someone new to aquascaping but as for me I don't look at aquascsping as a design form you just fill in with plants. Or set every design on paper first. For me that takes all the fun out of creating something completely original. Its like Roger's under water rocks. The larger stone that project foreword to create an aggressive effect. Was this done because it was the results of a laid out plan or the result of being creative when Roger placed the rocks in his tank? For me the best results I have had was not planed. I took days and weeks for tweaking the tank before letting it grow in. Its like just looking for hours at your tank. You know that something is off or something need to be added, then one day you figure it out. For me that's what make this enjoyable. Like Roger's rock. I would take the rock and place it all around inside the tank before I found a spot for it, then I would build around it. But this is my style I am sure its not the main stream for aquascaping.

Hawk

Trust But Verify «*»®
 
#20 ·
Hawkeye,

That's the way in the past I always did my aquascapes. I have one aquascape that's been in continuous evolution for almost 10 years. Maybe it will be done some day. Maybe not. Maybe not until the tank splits at its seams and spreads its aqua all over my dining room scape.

I am starting to do more aquascapes -- mostly in smaller tanks -- that are short term projects. It seems to help me understand a little more about what I'm doing.


Anona,

Great observations! You started me thinking about the role of technology in different media. Certainly some media involve a lot of technology. Music is probably the hands-down winner in that category. Sculpture -- especially sculpture leading to metal casts -- is another media heavily dependent on technology. Maybe at the other end of the spectrum sits Grandma Moses, using house paint to create needlepoint-like pictures on old boards.

I'm not sure where aquascaping stands on the scale of technology in art. For one thing, I think that internet forums tend to over emphasize the technical aspects. There aren't many ways that the chemical technology in aquascaping differs from the technology used in flower gardening. The differences are mostly in the CO2 supply and the time scale. Gardeners don't usually have to worry about bubble counts, pH and Kh and such (except in greenhouses). On the time scale, aquascapes need far more frequent attention to nutrients then do typical terrestrial gardens or even potted plants.

I agree that the time aspects of aquascaping are different from everything else. Aquascaping is almost like putting together a slow-moving sonata. There are multiple components arranged together but changing in time all held together by one underlying rythm.


Roger Miller

"The indispensible first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want" -- Ben Stein
 
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