The book that landed in my hands this morning was Artforms. Knowing that the wilderness would reveal many artforms in the coming weeks, I picked this large educational book up and there was the sparkling knowledge that my brain required to jump start into this adventure.
To visualize is to imagine or as this book points out visual memory provides a mental picture. What is of interest to me is how our experiences influence our inner visualization and outer seeing. This book goes on to discuss perception and human awareness...daily occurrences for all of us. Just think of images, conversations, and thoughts that enter our mind each day....ooftah as my Norwegian grandmother would say.
Don Fabun wrote"Of all our planet's resources, the most precious is human awareness."
The book points out that to be aware is to be conscious and to perceive is to be aware through the senses (to understand through the awareness). What was of interest to me, is the statement, "Much of our sensory awareness is learned. The eyes are blind to what the mind cannot see."
Watching my 18 month old granddaughter touch a blade of grass with wonder reminds me of the clean slate that allows every object to be one of wonder. This week provided me an opportunity to have my older grand kids. What a treat and what remarkable learning's. While walking in the woods my grandson and I were visited by a large pileated woodpecker, tap, tap, tapping. I am always in awe of the sounds, colors, movement and form that hits every sense when viewing living forms. My grandson looked up and then continued chopping at grass next to him. I caught his eye and said " shhhhh, look up and breath quietly." We smiled at one another. We must clear our minds, allow ourselves to see everything new and fresh. This is how magic occurs, this is how the arts flourish.
Young minds should be encouraged to experience every moment as a moment of fresh new wonder, a moment to learn and educate others.
Artforms points out, in varying degrees we are guided (or limited) in the growth of our awareness by our parents, teachers, and others who influence us. Looking at objects and labeling them can limit our perception of them. We can miss the nuances and subtle beauty of the object.
Robert Irwin, "Seeing is forgetting the name of the thing one sees".
What if we were allowed to develop our visualization patterns, encouraged to perceive life as an individual... where would this awareness take us??
Random thoughts that allow fresh art to occur. By the way this is not a wet great horned owl, it is whatever you would like it to be.
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