Still Life

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When I graduated from college, one of the first things I did was treat myself to a subscription to American Artist (which is no longer in publication). Even though I wasn't making art, I wanted to keep that part of my brain stimulated. I remember being particularly drawn to still lives done in watercolor and colored pencil, and anything containing glass or metal.

One would think it would be very difficult to paint glass or metal, but if one lets go of the idea that it is glass or metal and simply paints what is seen, it's no trouble whatsoever. That goes for most art, actually. It's just that glass and metal pose an interesting challenge to a person's mindset regarding the approach to the art. The brain says it knows how the things should be, but it needs to be overridden in order to properly recreate what is actually there.

It is this act of unbiased observation that I think can serve us well in life -- in practicing through art, we can learn to see what is actually there, hear what is actually being said, rather than imposing our own meaning on life. Certainly each person has his or her own "lens," but through it, we can see the underlying truth, if we pay attention.