Notan: The Dark/Light Principle of Design

This workshop will take place both January 29 +30, from 10 am - 4 pm. 

Notan (dark/light in Japanese) is a guiding principle of Eastern art which focuses on the placement of light and dark elements within a composition. Embodied in the ancient symbolism of the Yin and the Yang, it recognizes the separate but equally important identity of both a shape and its background. Participants will learn the design principles of Notan, utilizing cut paper and collage, proceed through a series of exercises to understand and apply this design tool. 

Instructor Bio:

Patricia Brett works in stone, plaster, embossed prints, and ink to create works that focus equally on forms and their negative spaces. Patricia is a past recipient of the Scweinfurth Scholarship (Cleveland Museum of Art) and the Schimberg Prize (Yale School of Architecture). She has a Master of Architecture from Yale University and a BS in Architecture from The Ohio State University. She taught architectural design at City College and was a graduate teaching assistant in architectural design and drawing at Yale. Her work is in the permanent collection of the New York Public Library, The Art Students League of New York, and private collections in the US and Europe.

Supply list:

Scissors 

Pencil 

Eraser 

Low-tack artist’s tape 

Large manila folder or cardboard folio for transporting work back home 

Ruler, triangle, straight edge 

X-acto knife or Olfa knife* 

Small, smooth pebbles or rocks