Inspiration for Artists > Like most mornings, which start with a walk in a beautiful rural setting, I became immersed in the feeling of life in every blade of grass and droplet of dew that caressed the unfolding scenes before me as I reveled in the experience.
As I periodically stood there observing and drinking in the life-filled scenes before me, it became evident that the landscape itself is art, independent of any painting.
The greatest accomplishment of any landscape painter comes down to two things, their ability to appreciate the land in a heightened spiritual manner, and then to be able convey that feeling in a well-crafted painting. When you think about it, nature is well-crafted, and therefore a painting, to be effective, needs to function at a level of craftsmanship which pays homage to the real thing.
This got me thinking about those who collect and sell landscape art. There are collectors and there are collectors, and the same can be said for those in the gallery business, they are not all the same. I know collectors and gallerists who feel art and nature on a higher level than any accomplished landscape painter out there. It’s rare to meet a non-artist with this sensitivity, but when I do, I am always extremely appreciative of being in their presence.
Anyone with the ability to feel on that level shares in the art experience, even if they don’t create art themselves. A child who is just being exposed to the natural world as well as art, can share in this thing we all know and love. It’s not exclusive to the landscape either; that just happens to be my main area of focus.
That’s why the arts are a universal medium of brotherly and sisterly love throughout the world. Art transcends the language and cultural barriers, which so often separate us. In this sense, art is a place of refuge and peace along with nature…thank God for both!
Until next time,
John
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Blog post prepared for the web by Cherie Dawn Haas, Editor of Plein Air Today
