Sam Keen

The second step requires that I go beyond the idiosyncratic and egocentric perception of immediate experience. Mature awareness is possible only when I have digested and compensated for the biases and prejudices that are the residue of my personal history. Awareness of what presents itself to me involves a double movement of attention: silencing the familiar and welcoming the strange. Each time I approach a strange object, person, or event, I have a tendency to let my present needs, past experience, or expectations for the future determine what I will see. If I am to appreciate the uniqueness of any datum, I must be sufficiently aware of my preconceived ideas and characteristic emotional distortions to bracket them long enough to welcome strangeness and novelty into my perceptual world. This discipline of bracketing, compensating, or silencing requires sophisticated self-knowledge and courageous honesty. Yet, without this discipline each present moment is only the repetition of something already experienced. In order for genuine novelty to emerge, for the unique presence of things, persons, or events to take root in me, I must undergo a decentralization of the ego.

Sam Keen, from To a Dancing God

M. Scott Peck

Our view of reality is like a map with which to negotiate the terrain of life. If the map is true and accurate, we will generally know where we are, and if we have decided where we want to go, we will generally know how to get there. If the map is false and inaccurate, we generally will be lost . . . The more effort we make to appreciate and perceive reality, the larger and more accurate our maps will be. But many do not want to make this effort . . . the biggest problem of map-making is not that we have to start from scratch, but that if our maps are to be accurate we have to continually revise them. The world itself is constantly changing. Glaciers come, glaciers go. Cultures come, cultures go. There is too little technology, there is too much technology. Even more dramatically, the vantage point from which we view the world is constantly and rapidly changing. When we are children we are dependent, powerless. As adults we may be powerful. Yet in illness or infirm old age we may become powerless and dependent again . . . The process of making revisions, particularly major revisions, is painful, sometimes excruciatingly painful. And herein lies the major source of many of the ills of mankind.

M. Scott Peck
from The Road Less Travelled

Tolstoy

To evoke in oneself, then by means of movements, lines, colors, sounds, or forms expressed in words, so to transmit that feeling that others may experience the same feeling--this is the activity of art. A real work of art destroys, in the consciousness of the perceiver, the separation between himself and the artist--not that alone, but also between himself and all whose minds perceive this work of art. In this freeing of our personality from its separation and isolation, in this uniting of it with others, lies the chief characteristic and the great attractive force of art.

Tolstoy "What is Art?"

Computer Arts Poster Design Tips

"Discover the essentials of project management and dealing with agents with these two posters to download and print out.

If you’re keen on the monthly top ten tips feature in the magazine and would like to pin it up on your wall, but don’t want to tear your magazine apart, then here’s just the thing for you..."

Full Article

Two Old Web Pals

As many of you have heard me say before, we are celebrating our 10th year in biz here at Art Paw. These past two years have been fun as my Blog has allowed me to talk with and network with a wide variety of other artists. In the early days I had far fewer web buddies, and yet a couple of power girls do stand out and are still around working and playing on-line.
Today I want to acknowledge two talented ladies and share a bit of my history with them.

First is Sheila Finkelstein. I met Sheila by phone in 2000 when she contacted me to help her create her first website. Sheila is a talented artist, teacher and photographer. Since our first meeting she has gone on to learn Dreamweaver and she now designs her own websites. She is always learning and sharing new web resources with me. I have learned so much from this gal. Sheila is a few years older than me and yet when I speak with her on the phone I always feel like I am talking to a twenty year old kid that is just out there experimenting with art and technology.
Check out her free photo E-zine called Picture To Ponder.
Her photography and art is available over at cafe press so that is another link I will post... go visit her Shop. Yep, she is all over the place. Sheila is a busy marketer and talented artist. Check her out and be inspired.

Peacock image © Sheila Finkelstein

The next artist I want to acknowledge is Linda O' Neill. I was reading her blog the other day and she brought up an earlier business she had called Digital Images. I chuckled to myself as I remembered my first impression of her and her work. My initial reaction was dang, "she is way too good and I had better watch out for her". If you are an artist reading this ask yourself how many times you have seen a talented artist working in your general area and instead of being excited or inspired your initial gut reaction is darn, why do I have to have such tough competition? Well that was my gut reaction. Since that first impression (born out of my own insecurities) Linda and I have gone on to create artwork for each other and we have developed a great e-mail friendship. Linda is a talented pet portrait artist and an amazing painter that works with a variety of subject matter. Her commissioned work is just flawless and her personal projects always inspire me to do artwork for myself. She is a very generous artist that is always eager to support others on her blog. Oh and check her out over at Etsy.

Brisbane Kitty Image © Linda O'Neill

My thanks to both of these seasoned artists for their ongoing inspiration and their generous support.

Zero's Portrait At Home

I just got this photo in my inbox this morning. When I asked Jennifer if I could post it to the blog she said:
"You should be very proud of your work, I've never gotten a smile with teeth showing in two years, usually more of a pained grimace, so this is a huge deal. He already has it hanging on his side of the bed. Of course, please post."

Happy Birthday To Champ & Mugsy's Human

These Doberman Pinschers are Mugsy & Champ. You can see their proofing set by clicking here.