Neurological

Fountain, Duchamp, 1917
Tate Modern's collection & image

It turns out that our intentions, whether making or viewing art, are what make the art.  Two hundred years ago (!) Immanuel Kant philosophized that in order to appreciate art, we have to detach our emotions from the viewing of the work and think and look critically at the formal elements of the art.  If we know that what we're looking at is art (and this is not always obvious these days), then our approach and our response to viewing the work is different than if we assume it's an everyday object.  Perhaps we thought the Duchamp urinal, titled "Fountain," was just left out temporarily while the plumber installs a new one and plans to haul away that dirty old fixture?  No, we saw it in an art gallery or a museum or in an art history text, so we knew that despite Duchamp's cutting edge use of the ready-made so easily confused with banal real life, it is art.  We thought philosophically (or were asked to) about the difference between art and the everyday object and the impactful idea of synthesizing the two.  Even "Duchamp described his intent with the piece was to shift the focus of art from physical craft to intellectual interpretation." (quoted from Wikipedia)

A new study by Dutch scientists explores this emotional connection to viewing art versus everyday life, and the finding correlates with Kant's theory.  Quoted from the lead researcher Noah van Dongen (Erasmus University, Rotterdam):

“This work suggests that when we expect to be dealing with an artwork, our brain responds differently than when we expect to be dealing with reality.  When we think we are not dealing with reality, our emotional response appears to be subdued on a neural level. This may be because of a tendency to ‘distance’ ourselves from the image, to be able to appreciate or scrutinize its shapes, colours, and composition instead of just its content. We know that our brains may have evolved with ‘hard-wired’ mechanisms that allow us to adjust our response to objects depending on the situation. What this work indicates, is that Kant’s two century old theory of aesthetics*, where he proposed that we need to emotionally distance ourselves from the artwork in order to be able to properly appreciate it, might have a neurological basis and that art could [be] useful in our quest to understand our brain, emotions, and maybe our cognition.”

Yay, art could be useful!
(laughing out loud to myself)

Here's the link to the article I read on Science Daily's site:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/09/160918180006.htm

I suspect most people...

I suspect most people feel similarly to Victoria Coren Mitchell, read article here, upon considering the opportunity to visit an art gallery.  She speaks frankly about the drag of standing in a gallery and thinking, "now what do I do?" or "What am I supposed to think about?"  (I'd read the article now....  It's not long, and I had a good laugh, so there's a bonus!)

These are the questions, among other frustrated comments that I've heard spoken with close friends and coworkers upon viewing art or discussing the meaning and purpose of art.  Obviously there's this cultural importance of art for which there must be a venue.  (Must there be a venue?)  I think we can at least agree that art is critical for the creative and expressive nature of the human mind, specifically some human minds that really go there (know what I mean? out there).  Of course, the out there art, just letting it all hang out, makes us feel something - perhaps disgust, surprise, regret or perhaps delight, relief or compassion, etc. etc.  I imagine that for some, it is the sudden confrontation with inexplicable human emotion that makes us dread art viewing.  On top of that, the feeling of being stupid - that most westerners fear - because we have no idea what this artist (creatively out there) or artwork is conveying.

Totally ripped this image off the original article in the Guardian.

Well, here's what I'll say to that:  Go ahead and feel whatever sudden and strong feelings come up.  Never mind judging your self or anyone for having feelings.  Allow yourself to be curious about it like you would as you wake up from a vivid dream.  As for having no idea and fearing being the stupid one that has no intelligent remark upon viewing art - oh, get over it.  Allow yourself to learn something or just not know.  There's something totally human about not knowing and as buddhism points out, not knowing is sometimes the only way to know.  Revel in the freedom of having no pretense and no presupposition.

If you haven't any interest in attending art galleries, I don't blame you.  Unfortunately, there is an off-putting stodgy feeling in many art galleries and other art venues.   However, I do hope you know an artist or two, or spend a lot of time in nature, or are creative in some way yourself because it's the terrible/wonderful aspect of death/life and ugly/beauty that can tune us into the bitter/sweet reality of our unique human experience.

Thinking about thinking

Considering how regular my blog posts were in my 20s and the gradual decline from sometimes 4 posts per month to now 1 or 2 if I even remember that I keep a blog...  it occurs to me that perhaps I have less to say.  This second third of my life marks a shift in how I think and how much I need to express, I am sure of that.  Having pushed through to an era of introversion - making art, learning piano, and generally working from home because I no longer keep a job, I am unlikely to say anything to anyone for most of my day.  I wonder about this as my art-making is also speechless, and as process is so important, it is all about being and doing.  Contemplation feels more comfortable to me and the pressure to have answers and to fill silence with entertaining commentary hardly ever exists in my life anymore.

I may be in a period of my life when I am best as a sponge for knowledge and experience as I realize how much broader the possibilities of life expand.  In fact, I think that my past outspokenness may have been more a result of wanting to sound intelligent and take on importance so as not to somehow fall behind in the big American Way.  Now I see that the American Way is just one of so many ways and I am under no obligation to participate nor exaggerate myself in order to get ahead.  Get ahead of what?  Ah, see there it is.  The competitive edge is gone.

Competition.  Wanting to be better than others in as many ways.  If I fill space with my thoughts and expressions, then I am taking that space away from you.  I have it.  You don't.  Forgive me for being so elementary, but I do think that's how it started.  So in the last three years or so, I've focused acutely on the task of self awareness and self love (starting around chaos time, 2013, with the tragic loss of 2 family members).  I think I lacked self love mostly and my self awareness skills couldn't access why.  Many realizations have taken place in this time, and this one, competition, having a competitive compulsion, had mostly fallen to "me against me."  The "never enough" scenario simply does not recognize that one already possesses the abundance of life.

And so, here I am, the sponge.  I am spending more time than ever before as an observer, as a learner, as a practitioner, and as a creator.  My day begins with a walk or a run with my sweet dog, Siga.  I have breakfast and coffee.  A day may include such introspective and quiet activities such as working on my art, reading, working in my garden, practicing Spanish, practicing piano, baking bread, various small or big cooking projects, and yoga.  Sometimes I go hiking or to the art museum.  Then I usually end the day with my husband and my dog and a comfortable winding down to bed time.  As is evident, the need to push out into the world is no longer the driving force.  Now I soak up the substance of my dreams and become who I've always wanted to be.

satisfying

Except for the mandatory ad at the beginning (skip it!), yes, it does feel good to watch this:

Must resist urge to dig out my calligraphy set from the 4th grade....

Watching ink on paper, watching a steady hand, watching color and line become a harmonious mark and composition... these things are so satisfying for me.  The same is true, for me, in watching someone run a race (I used to be a competitive runner and still run regularly) or just do something with elegant athleticism.  I also love to see the making of woven material and the construction of just about anything is a thrill.

Perhaps, at the very least, I should be making a stop action documentation of my cross stitch work.  I finished work on the left half with Christian's profile over this past week.  In beginning the profile of myself, I could document it each day and attempt to pull all the images together into a movie or slideshow.  Even if the documentation is only for myself, I will probably enjoy watching it more than I realize.
The stop action documentation of Progress Report, an artwork that I made in 2008 over 3 days' time, is still lovely to witness.

progress report (haiku)

pixels to stitches

needle through and through again

spending time with him

custard buttercream 

layered upside down fruit cakes 

dessert-first party

out of the studio

Whenever I remember that I have a blog and I haven't written anything to contribute to it for a while...  I try to remember why I keep the blog.  The first thought that comes to mind is for the purpose of processing my art practice.  In keeping this blog, I've wanted to have a forum for thinking through the work of making art, sharing and exploring whatever inspires my art-making and showing work in progress.

Lately, my art practice has been only a few hours (if that) each day because it is late Spring and my garden's going nuts and there are berries on trees and bushes all over Denver that I need to pick for making tarts and jam, and the weather is perfect for bike rides....

Agnes Martin used to advise that young artists keep with the intuitive need to be out of the studio at times.  My friend Alvin Gregorio also keeps with the idea that studio practice is not always in the studio and the art practice sometimes needs development via other exposures and creative work. There are certainly creative practices that happen all throughout my life!  The garden is proof of that, and so is this Saskatoon berry tart:

the wisdom of Mary Oliver

I wanted to share this poem as an expression of gratitude for Mary Oliver, a sage poet, a woman who lives the life I imagine possible for any of us, but oft left unlived.  I am inspired by all of her poetry, the accuracy of experience and feeling and experience and feeling.  This poem in particular is about the inner experience, the willfulness we can muster to live...  really live the lives we imagine for ourselves.  Living out one's own essential life requires a struggle, even if just the effort to rise in the morning, against the mundanity and uniformity, which so often blocks our entry into the magical experience of being human.

The Journey - Mary Oliver (from Dreamwork)

One day you finally knew
what you had to do, and began,
though the voices around you
kept shouting
their bad advice – – –
though the whole house
began to tremble
and you felt the old tug
at your ankles.
‘Mend my life!’
each voice cried.
But you didn’t stop.

You knew what you had to do,
though the wind pried
with its stiff fingers
at the very foundations – – –
though their melancholy
was terrible. It was already late
enough, and a wild night,
and the road full of fallen
branches and stones.

But little by little,
as you left their voices behind,
the stars began to burn
through the sheets of clouds,
and there was a new voice,
which you slowly
recognized as your own,
that kept you company
as you strode deeper and deeper
into the world,
determined to do
the only thing you could do – – – determined to save
the only life you could save.