It might be the light in my kitchen, but this picture doesn't really show the blonde all that much. Trust me, it is there. Well, here I am in my reading glasses before we went out for dinner tonight. My hair might have gotten blonder while we were out but it's too late to take pix. My husband says he's seen me looking better. I told him he should let me know the next time he thinks I look better and I'll hand him the camera.
Meantime, I am busy reading my copy of Ted Orland's The View from the Studio Door and making notes like crazy in the margins, having a mental dialogue with him and loving every minute. This author wants feedback -- ha ha - he will get feedback from me...at some point. It's like sitting on the floor with your best friend who is also an artist, having a philosophical discussion. Some things I want to shout "YES!!! -- exactly how I feel!!" and other things have big question marks next to them that I'll need to go back to and think about -- and with which I will ultimately disagree. What fun! What stimulation! And there is more to think about than just A-R-T. And mind you, I am only up to page 16 (ooops - typo, I first wrote "I am only up to -age 16." Typo or Freudian slip??)
One of the things he says, which is food for thought, is this: "We become who we are by virtue of the choices we make - consciously or otherwise - about which parts belong to the story, and which parts can be left out." I don't think so. Quite the other way around: I believe we make the choices we make by virtue of who we are and how we see things at the time. So when we edit our art (decide which parts belong to the story, or not) we are editing because of how our experience/personality/stuff in our virtual backpack, etc.
colors what we see. And, indeed, if, as Ted says, art is about how we see -- where does that leave us? It leaves us seeing things differently at different times in our lives, depending on (what I just said). This is a GOOD thing because unless we are stuck in a rut somewhere, seeing everything the same way as we always did, our art will change as our way of seeing changes.
What do you think? Can we all pretend we are on my living room floor, shoes off, coffee cups or wine glasses in hand, having a discussion? You're all invited... including you, Mr. Orland.
Friday, March 24, 2006
hmmm...
It might be the light in my kitchen, but this picture doesn't really show the blonde all that much. Trust me, it is there. Well, here I am in my reading glasses before we went out for dinner tonight. My hair might have gotten blonder while we were out but it's too late to take pix. My husband says he's seen me looking better. I told him he should let me know the next time he thinks I look better and I'll hand him the camera.
Meantime, I am busy reading my copy of Ted Orland's The View from the Studio Door and making notes like crazy in the margins, having a mental dialogue with him and loving every minute. This author wants feedback -- ha ha - he will get feedback from me...at some point. It's like sitting on the floor with your best friend who is also an artist, having a philosophical discussion. Some things I want to shout "YES!!! -- exactly how I feel!!" and other things have big question marks next to them that I'll need to go back to and think about -- and with which I will ultimately disagree. What fun! What stimulation! And there is more to think about than just A-R-T. And mind you, I am only up to page 16 (ooops - typo, I first wrote "I am only up to -age 16." Typo or Freudian slip??)
One of the things he says, which is food for thought, is this: "We become who we are by virtue of the choices we make - consciously or otherwise - about which parts belong to the story, and which parts can be left out." I don't think so. Quite the other way around: I believe we make the choices we make by virtue of who we are and how we see things at the time. So when we edit our art (decide which parts belong to the story, or not) we are editing because of how our experience/personality/stuff in our virtual backpack, etc.
colors what we see. And, indeed, if, as Ted says, art is about how we see -- where does that leave us? It leaves us seeing things differently at different times in our lives, depending on (what I just said). This is a GOOD thing because unless we are stuck in a rut somewhere, seeing everything the same way as we always did, our art will change as our way of seeing changes.
What do you think? Can we all pretend we are on my living room floor, shoes off, coffee cups or wine glasses in hand, having a discussion? You're all invited... including you, Mr. Orland.
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6 comments:
RAYNA!!! I LOVE YOUR HAIR!! IT LOOKS SUPER!!
As for your question -- I think we influence the choices we make because of who we are -- then WE, in turn, are influenced by those choices -- I think it's a two-way street....
Yes, I agree with the two-way street, but also in observing those closest to me I find that the males fall into the 'become because of choices' much more than the females who consider others as well before making choices. Big generalisation, but that was my initial thought.
Aren't we a book that keeps getting edited? I look at pictures of myself as a teen--when I thought I was ugly--and I'm not. So now I wonder what life would have been like if I had seen myself as I was, not as I felt.
Men of a certain age were identified by their work and how they supported the family. Unfair. Limiting. Confining.
Hair is superb! I think that life shapes us. If the things that have happened to me in my life hadn't happened I would now think differently than I do and therefore what I produce is because of that person I have become and what I see when I look back. I have so many facets now which all add up to the whole. Or could it be I'm a true Gemini? Grin!
Lovely hair, Rayna. I gave up colouring mine in the year I turned 50, so no more streaks for me. I agree with you and Valeri about life shaping us - often the things that affect us most are NOT choices, but events beyond our control. So afterwards, we do see things differently, and our art will also change.
Because I see life as all process and spiral, I don't see your view as opposing to Orland's here...it is either/or/and depending on where we our in our process of making our lives and life making us. And for me that spiral/process has to expand beyond me or where I am, it has to include history/cultural/future.
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