Cultivating Illusions
We begin by learning how to see, hear, speak, touch, and walk. None of this is automatic. If we are blindfolded for a period of time after birth our visual cortex will not fully develop. If we have an untreated … Continued
Surface Tension
Water flow can leave a trace of its previous activity in the earth (Example 1). Artists find themselves behaving like the earth, observing, capturing and responding to the experience of materials in contact with water. Waterborne or water-buried the relationship … Continued
Mashups, Painting and Photography
We look for meaning. We direct our vision (our attention) toward areas promising expected information. The hypotheses we generate are the result of previously collected experience and information now newly projected onto the world. Here are some of examples of … Continued
DaVinci’s Painting Principles
In the notebooks of Leonardo DaVinci Leonardo presents the essential elements of painting. He uses principles of contrast to illustrate these elements. Ancient Romans gave us their ideas on this subject just as 1000 years ago Sung Dynasty Chinese painters … Continued
Ancient Sacred Spaces
One of the most intriguing spaces of my childhood was the interior of the First Presbyterian Church in St. Louis. It was standard gothic, soaring arches, a long narrow nave with tall stained glass windows anchored above the altar. It … Continued
Luring Fish
The sharp tug of small bluegill as it dramatically bent my young fiberglass pole brought me to look into the water. I was 10. I had to see the mighty fish who tugged so hard. As I looked I caught … Continued