Case Study#2 - How to Improve a Bad Maze - Danzante Conchero Chichimeca

August 29, 2023

I have written 2 blog posts featuring a total of 20 mazes that I abandoned for one reason or another. You can read them here:

Why I abandoned these 10 mazes - Mistakes in Maze making

10 More Abandoned Mazes - Mistakes in Maze Making

I took the time to evaluate the mazes and see why they did not work and try to determine - could they be salvaged ? Today I present my 2nd case study for improving one of those mazes, El Danzante Conchero Chichimeca. If you want to read the previous case study:

Case Study#1 - How to Improve a Bad Maze - Tiki Totem Maze

Back to this maze. Here is what I wrote about the maze in the previous post on why it was abandoned:

“Abandoned Maze #6 - Dancing Man Statue Maze

I had high hopes (sing it!) for this when I started it. As you can see I made the figure and I was starting to add muscle definition (in red) when I came to the conclusion - there is no place for a maze - or if there is it will make the maze very large in order to be able to see/solve it. I want this to work because the figure took so long to make and I included so many details. Mistake made: Poor subject matter for a maze. ”

And let’s look at that maze, also known as the ‘before’, which I will note, because of the shape of the statue never got mazed !

And here are the changes I made to (hopefully) improve the maze:

1. Color - I added color to the monument. (It is of a statue in the center of a fountain). The feathers surrounding the head are colored for celebrations although it fades over time but I added blue/white gradient to get that right. I changed the muscular definition from red to grey.

2. Fountain added - The statue had a strong foundation (literally) but I wanted to add the fountain it was in to give it more context and add the wonderful coloring of the tiles.

3. Maze addition - This is where I was stuck before. If I make a maze through the body I hit many roadblocks along the way from all the wonderful dress of the dancer. So, I decided to use the fountain grid for the maze and see if I liked it. I did. Not ideal, but it solved the problem. I did need to add ‘layers’ to the concrete base of the statue that are not really there I felt a long gap in the maze didn’t feel tight.

4. Letter and brand - Add the name of the maze and add my branding to the top right corner.

I also did some minor clean up of details in the maze.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I wanted to add the maze to the body but never figured out a good way to do it. I think the work around using the fountain is ok. I considered but did not do the background buildings/sky. I felt the pose of the statue looking upward should be the focus.

And now the “After”. The new maze:

I think this is an improvement. What do you think ? Should I have added the background buildings ? Should I lighten the statue color ? Maze download is available on the homepage !

Maze of the Week #87 - Danzante Conchero Chichimeca Maze

August 28, 2023

Maze of the Week #87 takes us to the city of Queretaro in Mexico. This statue of the Danzante Conchero Chichimeca is located just outside of the main plaza in the city. If you visit you will be sure to see it. I lived nearby and have walked past it hundreds of times. You mazy not notice but there is some color on the statue, although the feathers near the head of the dancer have faded over time (they were blue and white).

Photos: All taken by me.

YouTube: This is a long video of the festival in Queretaro that shows many different festivities like a parade and dancing. I do not think I am in the background of this video, but…maybe. I did attend many of these things !

The Maze: Originally this maze was abandoned and made my list of mistakes in maze making.

Why I abandoned these 10 mazes - Mistakes in Maze making

Then I went back an made it into another case study, which you can read about here. I did need to cheat to maze the picture I made though !

I hope you enjoy the maze. Maze download is available. Check out my YouTube channel where you can watch this maze be made and solved !!!

Coming these next few weeks: Mazes with case studies !

Tiki Totem Maze (last week)

El Danzante Conchero Chichimeca Maze (this one)

A maze of a performing arts center

A maze of a sign

A maze of ruins

The Knot Garden Opera: Navigating the Maze of Love and Relationships

August 26, 2023

I was zipping around the interwebs wasting time when I stumbled upon The Knot Garden opera by composer Michael Tippett. It premiered on December 2, 1970 at the Royal Opera House in London, England. Why do we care about an opera that most people have never heard of ?

Well you can probably guess….are you guessing ? Well a portion of the action, specifically Act 2, takes place in a hedge/garden maze ! During this act portions of the 7 characters meet each other in the maze (on the stage), while others speak from a separated position since they are in different parts of the maze ! Characters enter and leave the stage as they walk through the maze (called a labyrinth).

The opera in broken into 3 acts:

Act 1: Confrontation

Act 2: Labyrinth

Act 3: Charade

It was controversial at the time of it’s premier because it was believed to have the first 2 openly gay characters in an opera. The plot includes the the 2 main gay characters dressed up as characters from Shakepspare’s The Tempest which they will be performing later in the garden. During the opera we have characters flirting and fighting and reconciling, etc.

Ultimately, The Knot Garden is a powerful meditation on the human condition, exploring the complexities of love, desire, and the search for meaning in a world that can often seem like a maze. It is a testament to the power of opera to move and inspire us, and a reminder of the enduring relevance of Shakespeare's themes and ideas.

You can listen to the complete opera here:

And you may be able to find some memorabilia for sale on ebay !

Case Study #1 - How to Improve a Bad Maze

August 22, 2023

I have written 2 blog posts featuring a total of 20 mazes that I abandoned for one reason or another. You can read them here:

Why I abandoned these 10 mazes - Mistakes in Maze making

10 More Abandoned Mazes - Mistakes in Maze Making

I took the time to evaluate the mazes and see why they did not work and try to determine - could they be salvaged ? Today I present a case study for improving one of those mazes, the Tiki Totem Maze which ended up becoming Maze of the Week #86. Here is my analysis from the previous blog:

“Abandoned Maze #4 - Tiki Totem Maze

I thought this would be a good idea. Tiki totems are so cool. I can’t quite put my finger on this. It just isn’t good enough to be on the site as a weekly featured maze. I think it MIGHT be able to be fixed. Add color to the totem, and to make it more interesting - SHADOWS. I would also try a more complex maze structure vs the current kids level format. But I can’t be sure that will be enough…so it will not get done ….or it will. We’ll see. Mistake made: Not enough details / interest”

And I must say, for a maze to be recoverable, the mistake made of not enough details/interest is a giveaway that the maze is salvageable with some additional work. Now let’s look at that original maze, also known as the ‘before’:

And here are the changes I made to (hopefully) improve the maze:

1. Color - The actual tiki is not black and white (nor does it have brown accents as the initial maze pathways imply. I went with the weathered grey color of the tiki. I switched the color of the walls to a complementary charcoal color.

2. Shadows added - It is a tiki on a beach so it is in the sun. I went with lots of shadows ! This really shows the shape of the tiki better, especially the eye area. I took the extra time to shadow the nose, neck, and under the pecs.

3. Maze placement - The tiki is full length and sits in the sand on a beach, but I only made the top portion. It is also surrounded by a sea of white nothingness. After considering adding the full totem, I instead decided to place the totem against the bottom of the page which allowed for….

4. Beach scene added - By moving the totem forward there is a large background to fill. That was a perfect place to add a background that included a beach, a palm tree and the sky. I spent 70% of the time improving this maze working on the leaves of the tree, then used a gradient color to accurately color the trunk. I did my best to add foam to the break of the water at the shore.

5. Start and Goal changed - The placement also meant a change from arrows to an internal Start and Goal using lettering.

6. Sky addition - The white sky felt like empty space. Might as well finish the color. I went cloudless like a great day at the beach (with sunscreen).

7. Lettering and branding - Add the name of the maze and my branding both of which were previously missing.

Also considered but not updated:

I decided to not change the actual maze beyond minor moves. It remains easy for kids but looks a lot better for everyone; Something on the water like a boat or a shark fin, or the sky like the sun or some birds; The full totem poll (as mentioned above).

And now the “After”. The new maze: