The opposite to love is not hate, it is indifference..........

In my view, art is a unique ''language'' that often has the ability

to speak to us much more directly than many other

languages.

Somehow, for many of us it seems to have the ability to bypass

 the analytical and pragmatic part of our brain and find 

its way straight to our ''hearts'', our emotional center's.

For the purpose of this post however, I will

focus on the visual arts.(Paintings)

Having taken part in many exhibitions, I have noticed

 there are some comments that keeps popping up.

Such as: ''Nah, I don't like it. I don't even know what

it's supposed to be."

''That's ugly. Isn't art supposed to be beautiful?''

''A child could have done a better job than that.''

''I know what I like and don't like and that's all 

that matters to me.''

OR

''I have no idea what I'm looking at but it's

making me feel all emotional.''

''This is beautiful! I just love the colours.''

''I know that this is an abstract painting but

I don't care because it speaks to me.''

''I have a feeling that it takes a lot of skill

to paint a painting like this so I appreciate

the work for that although it's not really my

cup of tea.''

Human beings, we are told, seek meaning.

We want to understand who we are, why we are here, 

and what the purpose of our life is.

Uncertainty, so says those in the know,

is the bane of mankind.

We much prefer to know stuff, to acquire as much certainty

as we can, because this makes us feel safe

and more secure.

Many of us prefer not to have to deal with abstractions,

the obscure, the esoteric, the 

concepts that are beyond what we can observe 

physically and that does not relate to our every-day lives.

Life is hard enough as it is, right?

So why do some artists feel that they need to add more

 uncertainty and abstraction to life

by painting ''difficult to understand'' paintings?

Or paintings that contain hidden meanings and

messages?

-Why do you paint such sad paintings, she asked.

-Isn't sadness part of the human experience just as

much as joy? I answered.

-I guess, she retorted.

-Let me explain, I see Joy as a friend, Sadness/Pain

as teacher and myself as the eternal student, I continued.

It's been said that ''a picture paints a thousand words'' which

I take to mean that one single painting has the potential to

 convey something quite complex and emotionally charged 

much more effectively than a multitude of words.

(Painting is just one of many different ways that we

can use to communicate with each other.)

During these (in my view) very turbulent times

it can be easy to fall prey to complacency and

compassion fatigue.

Image after image of pain, suffering and misery

 flashes at warp speed before our eyes on our I-thingy's.

Mass media churning out millions of opinion pieces

all sure of that their opinion is the correct one.

We watch live as drones and missiles strike

their targets and disintegrate cities, historic sites,

hospitals, schools, homes, etc. etc. and yes, killing totally

innocent people.

Facing all this can be overwhelming.

So overwhelming that one may ask oneself:

What can I possibly do that will change anything?

You can do whatever good and kind you can 

for those who need it and who exist in your

circle of existence.

The opposite of love is not hate,

it is indifference.

''Great things are done by a series of

small things brought together.''

(Vincent Van Gogh)

about the images: top: Graphite on large paper, 2nd: Graphite

on large paper, 3rd: Graphite on cardboard, 4th: pencil on medium sized

paper

As an artist/painter most of my work has been called ''message art''.

Why do we keep making the same mistakes over and over.............

If asked if we consider ourselves to be rational and sensible beings,

most of us would probably answer: most of the time; yes.

Yet, somehow we keep on making the same mistakes

over and over again.

History in general as well as our personal histories can

attest to that it ''is human to err''.

Not only do we make mistakes, but we keep making

them even though we already know the outcomes

from previous experiences.

Although we are supposed to ''learn from our

mistakes'' so say those in the know,

why do we far too often find ourselves

failing to do so?

According to some research, mistakes that involves

 physical pain we tend to find easier not to repeat

than mistakes that are the result of thinking/behaviour

patterns previously established through life experiences.

Those in the know suggest that we tend to create

''set notions'', templates, that we use in order to simplify

 making decisions, forming opinions and judgements.

However, these templates are often founded on

selective and sparse data/information and tend

to be more ''handy'' than helpful.

Challenging these templates (confirmation bias)

involves a shift of mindset and this demands a

lot more effort than just ''going with the gut''.

Also, sometimes we hang on to a mindset that we

know is or will lead to being a mistake

 because we have invested a

lot of time and effort in making it.

However, if we keep making the same mistake over and over

the brain starts to assume(so says those in the know)

 that what we are doing is the correct way of performing

a task and thus creating a habitual ''mistake pathway''.

Eventually this can become a permanent template

that often makes it hard for us to be able to

consider any other possibilities.

My friend looked at the painting and then asked:

-Where on earth do you get your ideas from??!!

-Hm, I'm not sure. Perhaps my willingness to humiliate

myself by making lots of mistakes allows me the 

freedom of discovery?

-What do you mean?

-Not being scared of making mistakes I feel

uninhibited to explore possibilities.

This morning I stood in front of a big, blank canvas.

So I tried something new. I filled spray-bottles with paint

and then started to spray the canvas.

I put it out in the sun to dry and when it was dry,

I put it back on the easel.

As I was staring at the canvas, 

suddenly I ''saw'' Mickey.

So, I painted him.

(A few hours later an elderly woman suddenly appeared 

in my doorway and asked if she could come in. 

Apparently she had watched me through the

 screen-door painting Mickey. 

She took one look at it and asked if it was

for sale. Sure, I said. Long story short.....I gave her

the painting. And she...gave me a box of delicious

cookies the next day.)

Mistakes, I have now concluded, are not to be feared, but

by using an open mind can be the most formidable

of teachers.

A mistake by definition happens but once,

it isn't planned it's made by mere chance. 

Sometimes we make mistakes that can have bad

ramifications and cause others pain.

Sometimes others make mistakes that can have

bad ramifications and cause us pain.

Sometimes we make mistakes that we don't 

know how to correct.

Sometimes others make mistakes that

they don't know how to correct.

But.

Sometimes we make mistakes that

opens our eyes and expands our minds.

That soften our hearts and of kindness

us reminds.

''Mistakes are a fact of life.

It is the response to error that counts.''

(Nikki Giovanni)

about the images: top: background/screen, acrylic on canvas

Graphite drawing of Teddy's, layered in Elements

Mickey: Acrylic on large canvas