Contrast, Harmony, Balance - Dixie Red Hills

I took this picture back in March. This is a trail located just next to Dixie Red Hills Golf Course. I took this up near a monument that was placed this past spring. It was right around 10 am, and was a beautiful morning for a stroll along this simple pathway. This photograph presents a number of Gestalt Theory and Principles.

The plaques located on the bottom of the screen represent some of the physical context. This pathway leads people to an decommissioned quarry used to build the original structures for St George and Washington County. The red rock located in both below and above the golf course also gives us that physical context of a Red Stone Quarry. The plaques also provide a look into history and pioneer ancestry creates a historical presence for a cultural context. People who are familiar with Southern Utah history also know this course is the first golf course in the area. If we critically analyze this picture we can see the chronological history of this picture from cultural perspective. This angle shows the viewer this quarry was located in a valley. The current golf course is located just parallel to the ancient quarry. If we look into the background of the picture we can see mountains at a higher elevation covered with snow. At this point we can see that the location of both the quarry and golf course are no coincidence or accident. Water runs through the middle of this course and settles just below the quarry. This at one point was the only running water to this area, and thus site of both settlements. The physical context is presented by the mountains and their different colors. From there we get to see the cultural context with the plaques and also through critical thinking. The history provides some psychological context for people who identify with the original St. George, and pioneer roots.

Using the vocabulary of design we can see how this photograph uses color and line to define where the eye leads us. The lines created by the two red rock ledges bring the eye to the mountain in the background. Horizontal lines run from top to bottom using the geography as guide to our vanishing point. The vanishing point is provided by the design of the fairway for the Par 5, 3rd hole. The colors also help create contrast between positive and negative space. This space also gives us balance between the top and bottom halves of the picture. Texture is created through the shadows on the rocks and trees. The cut of the grass to designate greens, and fairways also gives us texture and feel of the grass.