On their first date attending a football game Mom asked Dad “Which ones are the goalies?”
After all, my parents met at a hockey game.
My Dad, an athlete and huge sports fan, wasn’t offended by her lack of football knowledge. He married her not long after.

One of the wonderful aspects of art, is you don’t have to understand it to be a fan.
Professional Art appraisers primary advice is “art should be a passion buy.” In other words, love it? buy it.

People purchase music, clothes, homes, cars, confidently without worrying about or justifying their choice, yet confidence can dwindle quickly when it comes to art.

Learning about art can be enlightening and offer a bonus confidence boost.
Having a glimpse of the work involved, process, or meaning behind it, can lessen the fear of art, and bring open-mindedness.
Plus, it’s a transferable skill.
Appreciating varying art forms boosts your own creativity, innovativeness, decision making ability and understanding new perspectives.

Like music, there is so much to enjoy about art.
Whether it be Carr’s emerald forests, Rothko’s smokey colour transitions in Four Darks in Red to Jean Paul Riopelle ’s incredible kaleidoscope design in “Composition Blue.”
Don Berger’s florals unfold in absolute beauty.
Julia Hargreaves stunning “A Warm Afternoon in May”, the first painting I see each morning, brings me tremendous joy.
Allen Sapp and Maude Lewis were storytellers of personal life experiences.
Daphne Odjig, a pioneer in bringing First Nations Art to the forefront of Canada’s art world. *
Tom Thomson’s pure raw work feel as by the hand of one connected to the wild. Van Gogh’s uninhibited love of the earth radiates from his work.Then there are Monet’s brush stokes melting into one another and Lawren Harris’s clean edges.
The list is endless.

Exploring can be fun with the wealth of information available. The internet can be a doorway to discovering and learning about art process, exhibits, biographies, and stories. Art experienced live may be the ultimate gift. If you have an opportunity to do so, venture beyond the screen.
Approach artists, dealers and gallery representatives knowing they are usually happy to share their expertise and stories. It’s within inquisitiveness appreciation is gained.

Not long ago, I was taken by a simple sketch series in a gallery. A woman was portrayed in a series of four portraits, gracefully moving forward in confident, dance like steps. It looked as thou in each one she aged, her figure a little more stooped, yet the same lengthy kick to her heals. I found them joyful. The dealer explained the drawing, by a bronze sculptor, was a working sketch to achieve form for a piece located in the sculpting gallery.
The sculpture was delightful. Had I never asked, I would not have seen it, nor made the connection.
We are all students.

~
*Wikipedia.

New Work now complete:
Forest Path – 3ft x 4ft acrylic/ oil on canvas ( shown in natural and studio light).
Beach- 8×10 oil on canvas board.

Note: While on the theme of asking questions, a few of yours from this week.
• I always stand, never sit to paint.
• I don’t have a dog, but I agree, they are good company.
• Art is my sole income, I work full time as an Artist.
• I have explored a variety of subjects, nature is where I feel I can most contribute.
• I work in a variety of sizes to keep stimulating & challenging my composition skills, also to prevent injuries from repetitive motion working on the same spacial surface can cause.
• The new Red Sky painting is my happiest place in the world. Wild grasses and sage blanket the valley crest at Manitou. You can feel the ancients wishing happy tidings on the breeze.