This morning is about both reflection and admonishment.
Art comes in many forms and genres. You may not be in a museum, but you encounter art every single day of your life, using the five senses. How, you ask, are my senses involved?
HEARING - Do you ever close your eyes and just listen? Listen to music, whether it be the Classics or hardcore Rock-n-Roll? The sound of a sax, bagpipes or tap shoes? Do you sit outdoors and listen to the rustle of the leaves or the song of a bird?
SMELL - Close your eyes and just take a deep breath! What do you smell? Your morning coffee made at home or a local cafe? Food? Close your eyes and take in the scent of bacon or freshly mown grass. The smell of earth and tannins as you enjoy a glass of wine. These smells (except maybe the grass - unless, of course, you are a cow) lead to...
TASTE - Confirmation that the artist specializing in growing and harvesting the highest quality coffee beans, a butcher who supplies the freshest cut of meat, the vintner who finds the perfect combination for an excellent wine, and a chef who prepares such wonders that just melt on your tongue.
SIGHT - You capture visions of art all day. It may be nature's beauty in the lovely vision of a flower or tree. Animals in their distinctive shapes and colors. Something created by hand - a painting, a piece of hand-dyed cloth, jewelry, sewing or other art made from fiber. A child's hand painting.
And, herein, lies my admonishment, to ME! Your eyes are precious. Take care of them! I have had vision issues since middle school and have worn glasses and contacts until 2000 when I elected to have Lasik surgery. Overnight I went to 20/200 to 20/20 vision. Trees no longer had branches, THEY HAD LEAVES!!! Colors were so vibrant. I could read a street sign without squinting (even with my corrective glasses or contacts). I could see a putt-putt that had evidently been there for years!!!
I had already had dry eyes before, but the surgery made the condition chronic, requiring both prescription and over the counter eye drops. I have to say that I have been negligent in the past using my Restasis (now Xiidra) every day, along with eye drops. My favorite has always been Refresh, but I have recently been referred to Blink, which I absolutely love. My eyes get so dry that it feels as if someone has a tight grip on them and the drops don't do the job. The gel which clouds up the vision of others is absorbed immediately and applied several times to satisfy my begging eyes.
So, please take care of your eyes! They are precious.
Which leads us to the final sense...TOUCH. The feeling of grass between your toes as you take in the beauty and smells around you. The feeling of texture. Texture - it is the main reason I have so many crafts that I enjoy. I have a number of projects going at any going time. The weight or texture of a knitting project - my hands pick it up and the texture is all wrong for that day - too heavy, too coarse. The cutting of cabochons, the feel of the earth in your hands. Feeling the smoothness of a well-polished stone. A potter with their hands immersed in clay, a painter using a paint thinned with water or chunky from using a thick pallet knife.
So close your eyes and breathe it in. Open your eyes and touch. Use your senses today and enjoy the art surrounding you. Whether made by God or human hands, it is everywhere.
Art comes in many forms and genres. You may not be in a museum, but you encounter art every single day of your life, using the five senses. How, you ask, are my senses involved?
HEARING - Do you ever close your eyes and just listen? Listen to music, whether it be the Classics or hardcore Rock-n-Roll? The sound of a sax, bagpipes or tap shoes? Do you sit outdoors and listen to the rustle of the leaves or the song of a bird?
SMELL - Close your eyes and just take a deep breath! What do you smell? Your morning coffee made at home or a local cafe? Food? Close your eyes and take in the scent of bacon or freshly mown grass. The smell of earth and tannins as you enjoy a glass of wine. These smells (except maybe the grass - unless, of course, you are a cow) lead to...
TASTE - Confirmation that the artist specializing in growing and harvesting the highest quality coffee beans, a butcher who supplies the freshest cut of meat, the vintner who finds the perfect combination for an excellent wine, and a chef who prepares such wonders that just melt on your tongue.
SIGHT - You capture visions of art all day. It may be nature's beauty in the lovely vision of a flower or tree. Animals in their distinctive shapes and colors. Something created by hand - a painting, a piece of hand-dyed cloth, jewelry, sewing or other art made from fiber. A child's hand painting.
And, herein, lies my admonishment, to ME! Your eyes are precious. Take care of them! I have had vision issues since middle school and have worn glasses and contacts until 2000 when I elected to have Lasik surgery. Overnight I went to 20/200 to 20/20 vision. Trees no longer had branches, THEY HAD LEAVES!!! Colors were so vibrant. I could read a street sign without squinting (even with my corrective glasses or contacts). I could see a putt-putt that had evidently been there for years!!!
I had already had dry eyes before, but the surgery made the condition chronic, requiring both prescription and over the counter eye drops. I have to say that I have been negligent in the past using my Restasis (now Xiidra) every day, along with eye drops. My favorite has always been Refresh, but I have recently been referred to Blink, which I absolutely love. My eyes get so dry that it feels as if someone has a tight grip on them and the drops don't do the job. The gel which clouds up the vision of others is absorbed immediately and applied several times to satisfy my begging eyes.
So, please take care of your eyes! They are precious.
Which leads us to the final sense...TOUCH. The feeling of grass between your toes as you take in the beauty and smells around you. The feeling of texture. Texture - it is the main reason I have so many crafts that I enjoy. I have a number of projects going at any going time. The weight or texture of a knitting project - my hands pick it up and the texture is all wrong for that day - too heavy, too coarse. The cutting of cabochons, the feel of the earth in your hands. Feeling the smoothness of a well-polished stone. A potter with their hands immersed in clay, a painter using a paint thinned with water or chunky from using a thick pallet knife.
So close your eyes and breathe it in. Open your eyes and touch. Use your senses today and enjoy the art surrounding you. Whether made by God or human hands, it is everywhere.
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