What is or isn’t art, is purely a matter of opinion. That statement is of course, my opinion. It seems to me, that art comes from the perfect mating of the brain and the heart. Not that organ that pumps blood through our bodies but the “you gotta have heart” type of heart.

It took a long time before photography was considered a form of art. Stieglitz and Steichen pushed photography to the point of making the “artsy” set at least accept that possibility. Ansel Adams and to some degree Edward Weston helped bring nature photography to the forefront of photographic art, and Galen Rowell convinced critiques that color nature photography could in fact be art.

When you show art on a blog, you use photographs to allow people to see what you are talking about. That is good news for photographic art, but bad news for just about every other form of art. Even the performing arts don’t come off well in a photograph. A dancer dancing, will convey the art through video, but if you show a great still photograph of a dancer in mid jump, we the viewers will likely think, what a great or artful photograph, and forget about the dancer.

I even think that paintings come off terrible in photographs. Photography owes much (almost everything) to painting. Almost every valuable tool of composition or light that is employed successfully in photographs, was first observed in nature, and then painted before photographic technology was even invented.

There was a time, as ignorant as I was about differing painting styles, that I would have thought that the Andy Taylor landscape below was cartoonish. After many years of studying painting I can honestly say I truly enjoy the eye-popping colors and definitive lines of separation in his painting.

Different strokes for different folks is what makes all art interesting, and oft-times controversial.

If this Douglas H. Caves Sr. painting was an actual photograph instead of a photograph of a painting, we might say it’s too bad he couldn’t of gotten a sharper picture. Instead, we recognize that his art form borders on Impressionism, although, the buildings and the sky are sharp. A lovely painting.

In many ways, portraiture via painting is the most revealing of all artistic methods of capturing the human being, and the human soul.

James A. Daley created this penetrating charcoal on paper drawing of a young woman. I would like to meet, and understand this woman and find out what makes her tick. Why is she who she is? Where has she been and what has she seen? Is she even a real woman?

Thank you James!

This is the most evocative painted portrait of John Lennon that I have seen. Dominiquea Mendola painted this and she provides us with a look “into” Lennon which combines realism, impressionism, and abstraction in one work of art. I will look for more of her work for my personal enjoyment.

One form of art that I love with a passion, but have never shared before on these pages, is glass-art. This form of art/craftsmanship actually translates “fairly” well into photographs. I have watched glass blowing before and I can watch for hours. It is amazing and it is indeed art.

Unfortunately I am ashamed to say, I do not have any info on the first one of these artists.

Vases and bowls, are on a pretty common form of glass art, but come on, this is abstract and beautiful. What a magnificent use of color and shape.

I love pure abstractions in glass art. Our fantasies, both normal and prurient can be fulfilled in glass. This delicate bit of art was created by Kaits Rhoads.

I love taking these little road trips into art forms other than photography. My hope is that even if only one person, one time, will begin their own journeys through the various forms of art because of it, my journeys will have been successful.

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My commentary on politics, religion and social issues, will continue again soon, in force. Everybody, myself included, needs a rest every so often. I can assure each of you, that what I believe in and what I attempt to stand for, has not changed a single iota.

Joshua 1:9

9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Thanks and may God Bless,                                                                                                                    Wayne