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Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Moving Beyond The Limitations of Reality

A Sculptor chips away at a block of stone struggling to unearth the life within. Painters “chip” away at a blank canvas, but instead of removing they are adding-to using brush strokes, color, form and shape.


“Chipping” away symbolizes toil, tenacity, and consistency; the work involved is seeing a vision with clarity and moving toward its completion. Chipping away applies to removing doubts and negative vibes that block the flow of ideas.



“Clarity of vision” implies more than making a good likeness or replica of nature. Vision goes beyond interpreting what the eye can see to discovering what the spirit alone may fathom. Vision requires self-examination:


• Am I painting a child at play or am I trying to capture trust, the innocence of childhood, the thrill of discovery, or the wild imagination of an unfettered mind?

• Am I trying to represent, as realistically as possible, a bird in flight or the feeling of freedom and lightness?


• Am I simply painting a landscape or am I painting a memory, a reverie or the lost feeling of time and place?

• Am I simply experimenting, or am I trying to push beyond what I see and express my vision in abstract terms using line, color, and emotion?


An artist must learn to see beyond the bounds of reality in order to elicit unexpressed feelings, conflicts, and questions from the viewer. Through this interaction the viewer experiences vicariously what the artist has seen, experienced, and wishes to share.

The finished artwork calls out to the viewer in much the same way that a person or place calls out to the artist. A bonding occurs. The viewer is refreshed, the artist fulfilled, and both gain a deeper understanding of the human condition.


A living work of art may transcend the bounds of time, place, and experience and, therefore, change lives. On a simpler level, art may entertain, enchant, or enthrall.

The true power of an artistic mind and heart is seldom recognized, and rarely unleashed. When it is, the very soul trembles.

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