R-4: Balance
Balance is the image that an arrangement is stable and
self-supporting. There should be no
feeling that the arrangement could or is about to fall over. This is both a mechanical and visual quality.
Mechanical or physical balance begins with the container,
which should appear of proper size and weight to support the floral
arrangement. As the arrangement is
developed there should be more weight at the base than at the top. This can be checked by drawing an imaginary
horizontal line halfway up the arrangement; more material should be below the
line or a top-heavy image will result.
Note that an arrangement with a flared top may still retain proper
balance as long as voids (negative spaces) counteract the mass of positive
forms.
Where the center of gravity is perceived in the
arrangement also relates to the visual balance.
In this case, an imaginary vertical line is drawn through the physical
center of the container, with the two halves either in symmetrical or
asymmetrical balance. Symmetrical balance, also termed
conventional or formal balance, has the two parts equal in size, shape, and
relative composition. They are not
perfect mirror images _ things in nature are never identical - but they should
appear the same. The equivalence of the
parts gives balance with the focal point (as the center of gravity) in the
center. Thus, symmetric designs have the visual center located in the physical
center of the arrangement and container.
The image is less formal with asymmetrical
balance, in which the two parts are distinctly different in size,
shape, and composition. There is a
difference in actual weight of the parts on each side of the arrangement and
container. To create balance in this
situation, we can apply the following see-saw analogy:
With
a heavy person on one side and light person on the other, the see-saw tips to
the heavy side.
One
method to bring the see-saw back in balance is to add weight (another light person)
to the light side that will give an equal total weight on both sides. The fulcrum (pivot or central axis) remains
the same.
Another
balancing method for the see-saw is to change the distance between each person
and the fulcrum. This is a lever action.
Moving the heavier person closer to the fulcrum has the same effect as moving
the lighter person further away; it is a shift in where the axis is positioned.
In asymmetric floral
arrangements we utilize both of these techniques. We can add greater visual
weight to the "light" side while also shifting the axis. In practice, since the main weight of an
arrangement is around the focus, it is usually part of the heavier side and is
placed close to, but to the side of, the physical center of the arrangement and
container. Thus, the asymmetric design should be considered as having a visual
center line (focus location) that is close to, but to the side of, the physical
center line of the arrangement and container.
Visual
balance of an arrangement is important from all viewing angles. In an
all-around or two-sided design, the central axis should be perfectly vertical
in the container physical center, whether it is created by a flower, candle, or
whatever. The arrangement is then
developed into its three-dimensional form.
In a one-sided design, however, a vertical back in the container center
cannot counterbalance the weight of the front projecting over the container
front as the design depth is developed.
For these designs the main vertical axis should be placed as far back as
practical (behind the physical center), and it should be angled to the back,
usually about 15o from the vertical.
This not only provides a better feeling of back-to-front stability, it
also offers more space in which to develop the design depth.
To obtain front-to-back (side-view) stability, angle
the top flower back slightly for a one-sided arrangement (left) but keep it
vertical in an arrangement viewed from two or more sides (right).