A R T
And so starts the month of April 2015 blogging challenge. I love words and writing but even I'm a little daunted by writing for a month, every day except Sundays. I write a personal journal (almost daily) but this is slightly more taxing. Having said that I'm not going to sit and plot my themes ahead. I'm going to write off the cuff on each day as the mood strikes me and a topic appeals.
Today also marks the start of Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way course that I am participating in for a 2nd time. For various reasons I couldn't fully participate the first time around. Hence the slant towards art and the appreciation thereof in todays blog.
Art surrounds us. It isn't just in the masterpieces that hang in galleries, the scribbles our preschoolers bring home to adorn our fridge, or the mass produced pieces on offer in home stores to hang in our on our empty walls.
This is dedicated to all of those non-artists, those who can't create masterpieces either with cameras, paintbrushes, pewter, clay or whatever the medium of art is that you would like to use.
Art is nature. The warmth of the sun at the dawn of a new day. The beauty of the butterflies fluttering in the garden or the dog lazing on the grass.
Today I sat outside at lunchtime, making notes for this piece and observing the garden around me. I spent more time observing and using my cellphone to capture what I saw then I did making notes because all around me I saw art. As a photographer I am constantly watching the play of light and seeing the world around me differently. I'm always hunting for a photograph but in doing that I am also always seeing. And I'm seeing new things. Today it was 4 different kinds of butterflies, the play of light on the flowers, a caterpillar, tiny little blue grasshoppers, the ants.... the list is endless. I see it because I'm looking.
The beautiful butterfly which is the image for this piece is not only in the shape of an A but itself is a piece of Art with the various geometric shapes, shades of colour, contrasts and textures. All of it a magnificent wonderful piece of art. Not to be hung on a wall but to be appreciated in passing. I was lucky enough to get a photo to keep and go back to but still fleeting.
Take time to observe the world around you with different eyes and see the beautiful artworks right in front of you every day. Please yes appreciate those masterpieces that hang in the galleries and the scribbles your preschoolers bring home for you (turf the mass produced junk!) but stop for a second and look around and just see. Appreciate the small gifts of art we given every moment of the day by Mother Nature.
The earth we inhabit is one giant canvas being reworked constantly but always a masterpiece to the observer.