Series introduction: Fractured Zone A #1
Parent series introduction: Strange Zone II #1
Related series: Strange Zone II #4

Switching to a black background.

Series introduction: Fractured Zone A #1
Parent series introduction: Strange Zone II #1
Related series: Strange Zone II #4

I had planned to put this one into a 'transition' set following the current group. But since it is ready, and the well is otherwise dry, I am pushing it out now.

Series introduction: Fractured Zone A #1
Parent series introduction: Strange Zone II #1
Related series: Strange Zone II #4

Oops, I left the blog go silent for a week. I have been busy with other stuff, and then there was Thanksgiving.

I have a rough plan for the next month, with a lot to sort through and finish. That will take some time.

In the meantime, I do not want the blog to be totally dark. So here is one similar to the recent posts.

Series introduction: Fractured Zone A #1
Parent series introduction: Strange Zone II #1
Related series: Strange Zone II #4

At the end of the block is "Mildred's Minimalist Market" where you can find this item with sparse features.

Series introduction: Fractured Zone A #1
Parent series introduction: Strange Zone II #1
Related series: Strange Zone II #4

Across the street is the "Blue Boutique"

Series introduction: Fractured Zone A #1
Parent series introduction: Strange Zone II #1
Related series: Strange Zone II #4

You can find this one at the "Brown Boutique".

Series introduction: Fractured Zone A #1
Parent series introduction: Strange Zone II #1
Related series: Strange Zone II #4

Big features. Perhaps the "Brown Shift Bulk Outlet store".

Series introduction: Fractured Zone A #1
Parent series introduction: Strange Zone II #1
Related series: Strange Zone II #4

Next stop "Brown Shift Deli".

Series introduction: Fractured Zone A #1
Parent series introduction: Strange Zone II #1
Related series: Strange Zone II #4

Series introduction: Fractured Zone A #1
Parent series introduction: Strange Zone II #1
Related series: Strange Zone II #4

Series introduction: Fractured Zone A #1
Parent series introduction: Strange Zone II #1
Related series: Strange Zone II #4

In my notes I have been calling this set fza/white. "White" because of the white background. I am also working on some with no visible background. I plan to ease into those later.

But even within this white subset, I went a few different directory. I am posting these in chronological order of creation.

Along the way, I will fall back on my questionable habit of being a tour guide that only states the obvious. Today's stop is at the "many colors, small elements" shop.

Series introduction: Fractured Zone A #1
Parent series introduction: Strange Zone II #1
Related series: Strange Zone II #4

Series introduction: Fractured Zone A #1
Parent series introduction: Strange Zone II #1
Related series: Strange Zone II #4

These series are not put together in strict chronological order. The first one in the series order, Fractured Zone A #1, was selected as more representive of the series. The next two were the first ones I created for this series. You probably notice some similarity with the last one in the Transition series, Transition #21.

Series introduction: Fractured Zone A #1
Parent series introduction: Strange Zone II #1
Related series: Strange Zone II #4

Fractured Zone A.

The above description are my thoughts after-the-fact, it is not the design intent. As I was designing these, I was just experimenting with different, rough, mostly random shapes, put semi-randomly on a canvas.

If you have been following this blog, the Transition series describes how I got here.

This one I made just a few days ago. It is an amalgamation of several pieces I made after the previous. So, while not techincally a part of the transition journey, it simplifies the telling.

Compare this to Transition #13. The sawtooth chains are given much more randomness and become these jagged shapes. They fit better here than they did in #13.

And, yes, I was playing with colors along the way, and arrived at this more colorful palette.

I added a few more colors. At the time I was somewhat conflicted. I did not like the sawtooth patterns, but that was integral to the design. When I removed them, things were too smooth, not enough detail, not enough conflict.

This one of the variations that I prepared for a series. In retrospect, I may want to revisit these in the future. For now, as part of this transition story, the key element is less density.

Back to the past. A little after Transition #16 I came up with this one. It felt like a big step in the right direction, although it is hard to say exactly why. The colors are better. There are a lot of details, and they are supported by the overall composition.

I thought I would build a series around this. After a few failed attempts to create follow up pieces, I gave up. They were either too similar, or they lacked whatever it was that made me attached to this piece.

I liked the texture in the white/gray areas. I made some pieces to emphasize that feature. They were interesting enough, but not what I was going after. I will return to those later.

Tomorrow I will talk about another path I took from here.

Here is a newly created, very loose, variation of Transition #16. I liked how the intersection and overlay of multiple sawtooth patterns created unexpected shapes in places. It is a bit of an illusion in the original. Those shapes seem interesting because they are small, they lack detail, so the brain fills in the details. Anyway, it was difficult to create this effect on a larger scale. There are a lot of overlays here, with differing degrees of distortion and small shade variations.

Anyway, I am quite pleased with the result, this could be a starting point for a new series.