Deacon Jim

Ian,
>"I find my eye is caught by the "brightness" at the bottom of the picture"

And my eye is not. I find this topic very intriguing so let me drone on a little.

Example: I am remodeling a 1970 home. I removed the heavy oak railing, brown carpet, and dark stained paneling from a three level space. I replaced it with white maple floors, polished steel railing, and white painted walls. I put colorful artwork on the walls and bookshelves (also painted white) for the splashes of color and interest. Some people love it; most ask me what color I am going to paint the walls.

I admire Al's stands for the craftsmanship and artistic design. I don't like the dark stain. I will never own a dark stained stand.... I will never put a pagoda in my bonsai garden. I am American contemporary with European influences.

All of our 'bonsai' eyes are trained to see trees on top of dark stands. I personally like how artwork shows off against light colors. This set-up broke some traditions. I like it.

Deacon