This post originally appeared as a feature article in the March 2016 issue of my newsletter, Off the Easel.
?I decided that if I could paint that flower in a huge scale, you could not ignore its beauty.??(Georgia O’Keeffe)
When I saw the following tweet by David Borthwick (@BorthwickDave), I was delighted:
?Turn your back on sunset: watch what the trees do when you are looking the other way.?
His eloquent words were accompanied by a lovely shot of dancing limbs painted deep rose and burnt orange by the fading light. I have noticed this myself many times ? trees facing the closing day are set aflame by the retreating sun.
Seeing things differently is a major component of the artist?s mental toolbox. Sometimes that means looking in an altogether different direction, or, like Georgia O?Keefe, taking the time to see things on behalf of others — which is perhaps as good a definition of the role of artist as any other.
?Nobody sees a flower ? really ? it is so small it takes time ? we haven’t time ? and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time.??(Georgia O’Keeffe)
When I was in Painswick, Gloucestershire, in the famed Cotswolds region of England, I made a discovery. Before our arrival, I had not heard of a holy well there, but as an enthusiast, I knew that wells could reveal their whereabouts via street names. The city of Wells in Somerset, home to the famed cathedral, is itself named for the presence of three wells. A bit of code breaking or translation is sometimes involved ? it helps to know that?Tobar?is Irish and Scottish Gaelic for well or spring, for example.
When I saw ?Tibbiwell Lane? on the map at the bed and breakfast, I was eager for the quest.
We found the modest well wedged between the lane and a retaining wall. The clear, refreshing water flowed from a stone channel into a small, shallow pool just below. A gentleman who lived above was out tending his garden, and he showed us an inscribed stone on the wall: Saint Tabitha, the origin of the ?Tibbi? part of Tibbiwell Lane. This well was dedicated to her.
At first, I photographed the entire well in a more documentary fashion, showing it in its narrow space. As I got closer and started looking for more unique views and angles, however, I began to capture what I felt were more artistically successful images.
The Purple Spiral?and?Patterns, St Tabitha?s?were two such works from this shoot. Focusing on the way the bright light fragmented the leaves below the surface or on the spiraled snail shells from the well?s encased inhabitants led me to discover more than just the small well itself.
Had I been satisfied with my initial photos and not taken the time to look closer, I would not have been so fully rewarded.
Another of my photographs,?Cloud Planet with Jack-o-Lantern Face, Corrimony Cairn?is perhaps a more extreme example of my desire to photograph the essence of a location beyond the appearance of the outer whole. I realize now that by lying down in the center of the Scottish cairn and looking up at the blue sky peeking through the clouds where the capstone had been removed, I aimed to capture the substance of the place as I experienced it.
I also now utilize this philosophy of seeing when installing certain paintings. My?ceiling boss paintings?are designed to hang from and parallel to the ceiling. When developing these works, I was inspired by the medieval carved wooden ceiling bosses in St. Andrews Church in South Tawton, Dartmoor, England. I designed this installation to give a viewer the same sense of place as I had when visiting the church. At the opening reception when I debuted these works, it amazed me how many viewers neglected to look up unless prompted.
I invite you to take up the?artist?s stock in trade ? to take the time to really see something. Perhaps this will be a subject that you pass by every day, like one of O’Keefe’s flowers. They say that?artists can see approximately thirty values of any given color, whereas non artists only see ten. I think this is simply a matter of training the eye, of taking the time to discern subtle shifts in light, dark, and intensity.
If you are a fellow artist, I encourage you to look again, and to look within. To see with the wide eyes of a child, with that boundless level of wonder, enthusiasm, and curiosity.
All the best, and Namaste,
Amy
