Balancing Act

There are a few prominent balancing acts in digital montage.

First, narrative verses graphic. An element may be appropriate to the story but not work from a design point of view. At the same time and an element can have compositional value and not have any purpose or place in the narrative.

Secondly, I hope I have learned to balance imposing my will on an image and trying to force something to happen, with working off of what is already going on on the canvas. As Sister Wendy would say working with what my art already knows...or something like that.

Lastly, how far should one go with eradicating blemishes? Digital's ability to seamlessly correct imperfections helps to suspend reality and foster believability. But overuse can leave an image pristine and sterile, potentially undermining its greater intent.