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"An Artist Life"  not a bugs life.

This short story is mainly about why an artist see's things differently then non-artist.  What makes an artist do what they do and how do they do it.  How can an artist create things from out of nothing or does it have to be something from the start in order for us to see it and understand it. Maybe if we had the time, we could watch the artist from beginning to end in order to see the whole performance. Watching and observing is a major part in understanding, (understanding the process).  These are some of the questions we ask ourselves and most of the time we need to ask the artist, cause otherwise we are just making assumptions, (guessing).  Also that question has been around for a very long time, 'what is art' and 'what isn't art'.   What do you consider art to be? 

What is Art? Art comes in many forms, forms such as a crinkle-up piece of paper with a dash of paint splashed on it to an elegant sculpture.    Maybe one might find in a museum a mud ball labeled "Mess", and  around the corner one might find a statue labeled "The Bee Keeper" Or maybe one might find a table covered with a big wood stump labeled "Almost Paper".  No matter what one might find in a museum, it all boils down to do you like it and do you understand it, of course, there's always that question of, What is it?.   One could say, if you like it, then you could find ways to understand it, understand its reason for being there.  Then if you understand it, then maybe its true art form is starting to show through.  So maybe next time when you go for that walk, take a look around and see if you can find something that peaks your curiosity.  Take that piece and hold it up in the air, look at it, study it, understand its reason for being there. see all the unique qualities it has to offer.  If you really like it, take it home, (as long as it's not part of a public display or anything that might be considered illegal if you take it from its natural home/habitat). Therefore, observe/study it and then write about it.  Sometimes looking isn't enough, we need to sit down and write about it, (writing is a big part of the exploring process, and by seeing what we've already written down helps us to visualize and understand better what our main focus is on, focusing on what we are describing in words and not what we are thinking in our minds).  So, write about what you see, how does it smell, does it have a smell, is it smooth or rough, is it large or small, does it have neat colors in it, does it stand alone or does it need something to make it stand out?  What shape or form does it take, does it remind you of something.  If possible, could you twist it into something else; for example, a can.  Sometimes we don't see art right away, we need to find it first and then create it. Sometimes we have to create it first before we can find it, find its meaning to us. Or maybe we do find something that resembles art, we just need to re-create it that's all.  If that object is too big, then walk around it.  While walking around it, study its form, its presence, its location.  Start to ask yourself what I like about it and what I don't like about it.  What qualities do I see in it.  For example, this could be a big rock sculptured in a way that captures your attention/imagination.  Maybe you might want to feel it, climb it, listen to it, taste it, or just study it.  Other interesting ways to study it might be to do a sketch of it or take a picture.  Sometimes we have to come back to that same location maybe two or three times before as I call it, letting the image speak to us. Having a dialog with the image/object helps us to imagine what that piece might say to us if it could talk.   How does it feel today.  Is it happy, sad, angry, annoyed...etc   (((Any additional information on this topic "what is Art" will be up-dated every now and then)))  Something just to know-  Paintings: "Pottery was decorated with three-dimensional, foreshortened figures in the same classical style, as on the white surface of Lekythoi (oil jars) executed by the Achilles Painter.  On a Krater the Phiale Painter (440-35BC) portrayed Hermes and Dionysus in brown, red, purple, and white as elegant, naturalistic figures".  (Barron's Art History EZ-101 Study Keys). 

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Coming soon:  Asking the question, what is free art?   What is free art, is it art that is free or is it you that is free to do the art?

Also, Asking the question, what is an art gallery?  What's the difference between an open art gallery and a closed gallery?  Also that question we should ask ourselves every-now-and-then, why am I here, why are you here, why is anybody here?   Here's another one of those weird questions. Does the world weigh more now due to all the things that man had built through the years such as buildings, houses, cars, and the growing population of people here on this earth compared to let's say 3 million years ago?  Think about that one!    Ask your science teacher that one. Just don't tell him where you got this question from. He might think I'm a little weird