Art

I'm sure I didn't understand art as I was growing up. I was drawn to certain things, but I didn't understand why. I've been able to really figure out what I like and why I like it as of late. It is a very strong feeling. It is a connection that is hard to explain to those who don't get art. It isn't about the understanding of certain pieces or looking for deeper meaning, it is about understanding what it is that you enjoy and understand about art that makes it work.

I've been to three art festivals so far this year. Comic-Con is a feast for the eyes on many levels. What impressed me the most was each artists ability to pay attention to line and detail. There are so many bits of expression that go into drawing comic book art that it is important that the artist is able to catch the subtleties of the emotions, things like the difference between hate and abhorrence. It is a very difficult craft that only a few really ever make a big name out of. We were able to bring home a couple of sketchbooks by two guys who really impressed me tremendously. Scott Williams, who was the head artist for The Dark Knight, has that ability to draw fluid and clean lines that go well beyond the rest of the crowd. You can feel the energy in his work. The other was an inker (colorist) whose name escapes me at the moment. His ability to discern and mix warm and cool colors to create overall scenes is passionate.

I never would have used these words about art, much less comic book art, even as little as a year ago. I did not have the understanding that I needed to make that connection. To get the pieces to speak to me. It has simply become part of who I am now. I can do more then appreciate art now, I can tell you why I like something and why I don't.

On Sunday we went to two of the Laguna Beach art fairs. Art-A-Fair is for artists of all types. This is art that is geared, mostly, for adults. We saw watercolors, oils, acrylics, photos, sculptures and the like. Landscapes, still life, street scenes, and the eclectic. One particular artist truly inspired me. He created pieces from glass and steel into large Japanese influenced pieces. A mirror he made that depicted bamboo was particularly touching. It wasn't the realism as much as the light that the piece created. It was serene and powerful. It spoke a message that was pure and clean.

The Sawdust Festival is a bit more folksy then Art-A-Fair. You have garden gnomes, toe rings, art glass, jewelry and the like. Another mixed media artist, one fusing wood, glass and steel, really had me hooked. He had created a piece that looked much like a Frank Lloyd Wright House (form and function) and a Monterey Cypress, those found off the coast near Big Sur. It was clean in its lines. Precise. It flowed smoothly from one medium to another with no break in message.

I've arrived at this point in life because I am ready to. I understand that art is important to me because I value certain things about it. I can see the beauty in the symmetry that can be created as well as the daunting challenge that asymmetry can bring to the forefront. I used to be scared of art. I would only comment on those things that landed in the mainstream because they were exactly that. I have finally learned what it is that I like and what it is that speaks to my soul. It is a great feeling to have those things go together for the first time.