Actually, I'm thinking these are so striking on their own. The portrait might lose impact in a group of large prints. But I would still want them all, placed around the house : )

Honestly, I can't vote.

Well, I could ask him ... but actually getting it accomplished would be another thing entirely. He's always got a million projects going, so I really hesitate to even ask him to make more frames right now. I like the idea of a grouping, but I just don't have the space that would be required for that.

This new piece will probably go in the hallway, either in this spot on the end wall, or on an adjacent wall that is actually in the long hallway itself. The wall color in this area is SW "Buckram Binding", a sandy tan with just a hint of yellow (in case it doesn't translate well in my pic):

Squirrel, this is the frame I have over my mantle, and it's definitely staying put. It's much larger than the piece I'm currently wanting to fill, and is one of my prized possessions. Of course, dad made it as well.
:-)

I think I'll email these three choices to dad, and ask him to vote as well!

I like them all!! But, if I had to pick one it would be the 1st one. It's a conversation starter...a you know...* what is that photo all about?* type of picture.

no 3. hand down.

I like art work that speaks to a room & evoke emotion. No 3. makes me think a/b her and who she is.

No 1.--- I had a really hard time seeing it at first. I thought it was 4 Yodas on a mountain.

No 2 -- a bit forced. Like a wedding portrait pose. Not as natural and beautiful as no. 3.

JMO :-D

Oh, this is weird. Just what I was thinking. Yes, the first is a conversation piece and kind of light-hearted. Very amusing or captivating piece, and in that stepped frame more so. The third is quite serious. Love the girl and it seems very much 'you.' So, I would probably chose #1 or #3 for over the mantel.

Rotations would be an easy fix : )

No, no -- the one that's over the mantle stays. This pic is for a completely different location. :-)

#3 does it for me. The 2nd seems like a pose, like at a studio. I like them all, but 3 speaks stronger & goes well with the wood frame.

I see. I somehow got the impression from the other thread that it was for over the mantel. That's a beautiful piece.

I love faces and pictures of people, so #2 or #3 works for me in that spot. I think I have a lean for #3 maybe, because it has so much presence. It makes you stop, take pause, and think as Bella says.

That's kind of a vote, isn't it? Take your pic, lol.

1 and 3 are both great. I would get #1 because it is less complex and let's you focus more on the frame. As you said, #3 draws you in -- so you tend not to notice the frame as much. I think you should also get 3, but put it in a different spot.

For that particular spot, it is #3 all the way for me!!

i love all of your pictures, mostly because i love the gentle Hopi traditions.

Best,
Fuzzy

I like #1 best. I like the others too, but have a weird quirk about having face photos of people I don't know in my house. I know it's art/culture/history, but I can't help but think about who that person is and why they took the photo and how they'd feel having their photo in my house!

Guess I'm different. I like #2.

I like #1 because it is a group of people and I like the steps. I also like #3 and, before I read everyone else's votes, I was going back and forth between them. Ultimately I like #1 a little better because #3 is a person and I'm not crazy about close-up pics of people I do not know. I know it's just a personal preference. Either one will look great in that frame but #1 sure is interesting.

My order of preference: 3, 1, 2

but they are all lovely and that frame is just stunning.

I also like #2. I think the composition of the picture is better....and yes it likely is a wedding portrait.
The frame is very formal, precise, beautiful and I think it should house a formal portrait.
I think the one with the Hope maidens on the steps needs a more traditionally shaped frame...one with a solid bottom to balance the darker mass which is the young girls.
Linda c

Oh this is so tough, aj! I can see why you're asking for feedback...you have such a wealth of great material to choose from. (Once again, your dad's work is outstanding.)

#3 is breathtaking, imo. When I first saw #2 I was struck by it as well...what a charming face...but then I saw 3 & that portrait has so much depth & drama. #1 is nice too. Gee, I'm not much help. Guess if I had to choose just one, I'd go with #3. It really has a "wow factor"... it is striking & beautiful.

For me it's a tie between #3 and #2. Both of them remind me of paintings by Vermeer, but #3 really is reminiscent of his paintings. It's the composition and how the the light casts shadows that draws me to it.

I love the frame and I vote for #3 as well. But if dad could make two more than I think that would be wonderful and look great on your hallway wall. LOL!

I love them all but my vote is for #1. Like others have said, I like the way the steps repeat the shape of the frame, plus it has a more graphic effect which doesn't draw attention away from the frame. This is just my opinion, but portraits are meant to draw your attention to the eyes of the person in the portrait, and it this case it would mean drawing your eye away from the frame. Usually that's a good thing but in this case the frame is the art.

If I HAVE to vote, then # 1, but I have to tell you, you have some AMAZING pieces. True treasures

If you can't have all 3 (they would made a great grouping)
#3 would be my favorite!

#3 is the one I like best.
#1 makes me think of the mickey mouse family and # 2 is too mug shot looking.

I love the third one and I would love to know more about that beautiful pensive woman. The tones and highlights are amazing. The fact that she fills the space makes it even more intriguing. That is the one people will be drawn to take a closer look.

LOL @ the mickey mouse family ( that is hysterical) Actually I thought they looked like a group of chimps from the back...I still love it, and it's my choice for the frame.

without reading anything about these prints...

#2 touched me the most.

ML

#1 - i am curious who they are, and what they're watching (i.e. if you didn't provide an explanation in the post.) the tonal range of the print also goes really well with the frame, as well as the different lines in the image, and the frame itself. the print and the frame seem to blend into one.

while the other 2 prints are striking, i think they're better suited with a simple big white/cream matte, and a simple frame. the prints fight with the frame i think.

I choose #1`because of the step shape as I mentioned before, as well as the breathing space in the image.

While the other two images are amazing, I don't care for them in that frame for two reasons - first, I think they fill the frame too much, which makes them feel crowded. Second, I don't like the vertical line that runs on the frame with those portraits - because they fill so much of the frame, my eye runs it right through the vertical images and feels kind of creepy, like the images are stuck on a pole or something.

I still like them all but am leaning towards #3. I just really like the pic. Next I like the 1st one then the 2nd.

I like #3, by far the best. I could spend a lonnnnnng time looking at the light on her face.

And I love how the lines of her blanket are echoed by the lines in the frame.

Is it Edward Curtis?

To me, #1 looks like a crowd of Yodas wearing Mickey Mouse caps.

OK ... lots of "yodas" and "Mickey Mouse" comments here! LOL! Those are traditional Hopi robes and hairdressing. I guess you have to really appreciate the culture in order for the image to have meaning for you, but it does speak strongly to me.

MClarke, these are all Curtis images. I just love his work!

I'm really appreciative of all of the input you guys have given me, both in my previous thread and in this one! You're helping me visualize things as I might not ordinarily ... (although I still don't think I'd tend to see those Hopi girls as Star Wars or Disney characters!)
;-D

Now that it's already been brought up, I first saw the Mickey Mouse Club, then maybe something from Planet of the Apes or Star Trek, lol. Say what? After learning about the print, I do find it a very intriguing and special picture to reflect on, and somewhat whimsical. But I don't recall ever having seen images like that before! so that's what I saw too : )

They're all such beautiful images that are heightened by your Dad's beautiful frame.

Aj: sorry if the Yodas comment offended you. :-D My kids are such SW fans and Yoda is the 1st thing that came to my mind.

DS3 is named Luke Skywalker -- except the Skywalker (his middle name) is translated to our language :-D Just so you know how crazy we are a/b SW. :-D

Still like no3 the best. :-)

Usually when someone asks for a vote, I'm on the fence or torn between two options, but not this time - #3 absolutely without a doubt. I like how the overall darkness of the photo doesn't compete with the frame - instead it lets the frame stand out by bringing out the darker wood inlay. Like mclarke, I also noticed that the lines of the blanket complement the lines on the frame - in fact, I think there's a lot of linearity (is that a word?) in that photo that really just makes it look like it was made for the frame (or the frame was made for it).

I like the other 2 photos very much as well, but I don't think they're as well suited for the frame. The first one seems too light to me - it doesn't let the frame stand out because the light space and contrast between the light background and dark figures in the photo draws all your attention. And the 2nd one is cute too - I love her expression, but I think the overall tone of the 3rd photo is crisper and more artistic -- less like an old family photo and more like "art"

Anyhow, any one of them would be great, but the 3rd one made me gasp because it was just so perfect for the frame and the combination was so stunning. Good luck choosing!

aunt j

I will echo what Bella & Les said

The yoda thing is not to offend or lack of understanding the culture - rather it is, for me, a 1st impression - w/o reading what the photo was -

That said - I think #1 fits the frame the best, to allow both the art of frame & photo speak
But I like the photo of #3 better

Hmm - I feel like i want to photo shop the background only in #3 lighten it & put it in the frame -

I'd vote number #3; it's the one I'd identify most with Native American but also most predictable.

Second choice is #2.

I couldn't tell what #1 was. Like others, my interpretation was either yoda/star wars, mickey mouse or chimps, so to me it almost had a comical feel and that's definitely not the intent. Some people would certainly need an explanation as to who/what's in the picture and what they are doing.

I'm down to #3 : ) I placed another image of it with a 1/4" border in your old thread.

#1 and #3 are so different...#1 is about composition and graphic balance, and works wonderfully with the frame. I like the paler ground, and the proportions of the image and the frame are more harmonious to my eye.
If you want a portrait, #3 is more haunting and lovely, in my view. I don't mind pictures of people I don't know as long as they are not looking at me! But I think the frame competes with that image. I would want the portrait in a simpler frame, without the complicated profile.
So I vote for #1.
(I bet Mickey and Yoda are not an issue when looking at the actual print...)

Wow, they all looks gorgeous. I love 2 and 3.
Ask your Dad to make another frame and then you can have both.

Well, I polled my dad as well, and he said:

I'm picking the top image (Hopi maidens at Walpi!)... everything about it is pretty much 'just right!'
The second picture is a bit too 'tall' for the frame, I get the feeling that the top of the frame is 'cramping' the image at the top... in other words, the frame is too close to the top of her head.
I have basically the same problem with the third image, except the crowding is laterally... the image needs a wider frame.

So ... being the good daughter that I am, I think I'm going to allow him to break the "tie" that I've still been struggling with, and I'm gonna go ahead and order print #1. Thanks to Squirrel, who informed me that these were available in giclee version at art.com, I'm off to place my order now!

Thanks so very much for all for all of the input! Oh, and the Yoda and Mickey Mouse comments didn't offend me ... I guess if you aren't familiar with the culture, you wouldn't automatically understand what the photo is all about, so how could I take offense at that? :-)

They are all beautiful but I have to admit #1 really speaks to me. I hope you get to use all the prints somewhere in your house even if 2 of them go into plain frames.

I would never have said the Mickey Mouse comments if I even remotely thought it would offend you.
You're a good daughter to let your dad make the final choice!

Just in case anyone is interested, below are a couple of more descriptive images showing the traditional "Hopi maiden" ceremonial dress. I also found this, describing the hairstyle:

Women had long hair, but marriageable girls wore their hair twisted up into large whorls on either side of their heads. These whorls represented the squash blossom, which was a symbol of fertility. This hairstyle is still worn by unmarried Hopi girls but due to the amount of time required to create it, the style is reserved for ceremonial occasions. The hairstyle for married women was either loose or in braids.

I hope I'm not boring anyone ... I find this stuff fascinating!

Very interesting!
Diane

I love anything that explains more about Native American life to me. I've been living out here in "Indian Country" for 26 years now and love their imagery, their art and those photographs. Plus, DH is part Cherokee (and English . . . what a combination!), so I married into it, as well.
Jen, I would have voted for #3, but they all look wonderful with your father's gorgeous frame. Please tell him how much we all admire it, will you?

Thanks for telling us more about their hairdos. I was wondering what the 'function' of those do's was. That's the kind of stuff that makes history *interesting* rather than boring!

Were you able to get a giclee? I don't see that image and there are a lot of black & whites.

Woooo Hoooo!!! I'm glad you picked #1, the Hopi maidens at Walpi!

My favorite :) and I think it will be smashing in that frame!

all of them are beautiful

Squirrel, I didn't order a giclee from art.com (they didn't have this particular image -- they have one that's very similar, but not exactly the same shot), but I found an original 1972 print in sepia from an eBay seller that I bought instead. I can hardly wait to get it! Thanks again so very much for applying your Photoshopping expertise to this little project for me. It helped tremendously!