Is that art?
Does Art have to be conscious? 
This is actually a serious question. I have always said that some gardeners can be artists, some builders are artists, a zooped up old car can be art, my bedroom table can be art, a perfect line of shiny mens shoes in the wardrobe can be art. Is a perfectly mown lawn, a sculptured tree, a patchwork quilt, a beautiful ball gown, or a perfect suit – art? A worn out frayed holey farmers coat on a hook, left there for years because it looks like a story. Or does it only become art when it is captured and rendered and framed for display?
I grew up with artists. I know some wonderful painters. I long to hang the photography of some of my stunning blog friends. My most difficult but compelling boyfriend was an artist. I worked for artists when I was modelling. I work with animators and film makers and writers and designers. And they are driven and true and Art is their lives. On many social media platforms I see paintings and drawings and sculpture displayed for comment. These are accepted forms of art because they are considered and there is struggle and decisions are made and talent combined with skill is needed then they display them as Art. Many of you get up in the morning have their coffee and walk into your studios to work for the day. You produce art.
But what if you create a stunning vegetable garden. If you hang your laundry on the clothesline so it catches the wind and the colours and pegs are balanced and true. I am wondering if when a child makes a snowman, or I doodle a huge flower in the sand and watch the waves wash it away, or I plate a meal with flair, or you produce a perfect loaf of bread and we all sigh when we see it – is that art. It is transient, almost accidental. But art? And by those terms – are you an artist.
Many of you are Real artists, trained artists. Maybe I need a new word for what I am describing. Maybe that is the real question. 
But can you be an artist without struggle, and practice and training? Can seven stones lazily balanced on top of each other on the side of a desert road, while waiting for someone else to pee behind a cactus, be an Installation? Is art only art if it is captured and presented as art? 
You remember Picasso and his toilet. It was only a toilet until he took it into a gallery – then it was art. But was it art before he found it and put it on a pedestal for inspection?
But he was an artist and the toilet was designed by somebody.
If you are not thinking to yourself “I am an ARTIST”. Then are we Life-ists? 
I do not consider the work I produce here as art – it is documentation – pretty record keeping. But sometimes I can capture other art. Life’s Art.
And on another subject why can I never find a hammer when I need one. 
I will tell you why. Because I leave them in really strange places. Then totally forget where the strange place was. My memory is definitely not a work of art.
Anyway – back to work. I finished the new electric fence for the middle sized pigs yesterday. This area is part of Daisy’s paddock and runs parallel with the drive and will be this summers new vegetable garden. The pigs will hopefully spend the winter rooting up every single plant in there. Pigs do much of their rooting in the autumn and winter, in the summer months they tend more to grazing the grass. In winter the protein levels are so low, or nonexistent, in the grass above the ground that they are compelled to dig up the roots and eat those instead.
This is a useful skill, when properly managed, and their task for now is to clear this plot, then I will have fewer weeds to deal with when I create the garden. Well, that is the plan anyway. I am fairly sure that once they realise they can Do a Poppy and slide under the non electric fence side we will have an escape on our hands. But until they notice the flaw in my plan they will do good work.
Or maybe they have packed a lunch and are already on their way down the drive! TonTon is hot pursuit no doubt.
The high for today is 34f/1c. Not too warm and very windy. Glad I got that fence finished yesterday.
I hope you have a lovely day.
Love celi
88 Comments on “Is that art?”
Leave a Reply
JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER:
DO A LITTLE SHOPPING:
Thank You So Much For Your Kind Help with Maintaining This Blog
I find your habit of using yesterday’s photos with today’s thoughts very artistic. I mean, what could be funnier and more thought provoking and strangely beautiful than you talking about intentionality and art as the pigs run around seeming to dig and root and “construct” with great purpose. Pig Art. It works for me.
I never thought about it that way. Yesterdays photos with todays thoughts! Lucky you are all clever enough to keep up with such a split from convention. Pig Art!
They say that you have to learn the rules in order to break them. In Art Schools these days one is supposed to go through a thought process including sketches before producing a finished piece of work. Then there should follow a written critical evaluation 🙂
Yes. I have worked in a few art schools and this is something that always bothered me – the written critique. Not bothered exactly but made me wonder. Unless the discussion was about the actual execution of an idea or the technique. I loved to collect people exploratory sketches – often these were my favourite works.
The marking is done based on the evaluation. It’s easier than marking a piece of art and explains what the artist was thinking. However, as art is also emotional, it’s very hard to qualify that part. As an exasperated ex lecturer, these days it’s hard to get them to make sketches, do any work or write an evaluation! Most come in late, check their FaceBook and then ask to go home early. That’s why I quit. When I was at art school we were all very excited about what we were doing and it was an incredible 3 years that I would go back and do again in a heart beat. Several of my fellow alumni have expressed the same sentiments.
Do you remember Federico? he lectured in Architecture in BA, Argentina and said exactly the same thing – that’s interesting and sad – really sad. c
It’s very sad and hard to understand, but I’ve taught at St. Martins (as a guest lecturer), which is very hard to get in to and the standard and work ethic is much higher – phew!
…and I think the lack of enthusiasm/work ethic is down to being wrapped up in cotton wool at school. They don’t get to think for themselves.
Couldn’t agree more. One of my step daughters teaches elementary school kids, 5th & 6th grades. Then consensus among her fellow teachers is the the kids have no ‘grit’. For the most part they’ve never had to suffer the reactions of their actions and push through something unpleasant.
It obviously depends on how you define art but I tend to think that it has to be a product of consideration, skill and practice. That’s not to say that a non artist could not produce something of beauty randomly or carelessly executed. But art by its nature is something contrived isn’t it? It’s not natural. A thing of beauty does not have to “qualify” as art to claim its place in the world of nature or otherwise. What an intriguing subject. I don’t normally comment but do read regularly and do so enjoy your documentation of farm life. M from Sydney
Hi M, welcome to The Lounge and thank you for adding your comment! And very good additions to the discussion too! c
I have a broad view of art. I see it everywhere… it’s beautiful and it can be ugly. It is often misunderstood. And many times it goes unseen. One of my favorite blog posts was, “The Artistry of Ice in a Bucket”. Art is a big part of my everyday life, but I couldn’t say that when I was young and too busy to notice.
You are an art form yourself I think – a nympth in the woods
Aw, thank you!
I love this post. My daughter in law is a trained artist, but she is not the only artist (I like your term Lifest) in our clan. I love the peeks into your past that you share through your writing. Our high today was in the wee early hours. It is on a downward spiral with wind today. The overnight rain has ended.
I hate days when it starts at the High then dwindles down from there – hope you can stay indoors for some of it – c
Perhaps art is not so much what we make or do. We all make and do things. Is art something in the eye of the beholder? As is beauty. A hammer on a fence rail is a good example. When you put it there, it was likely a mindless act during another task. When I see it in this photo, it has qualities very different to me.
Maybe this is art, when we relook at something, frame it whether with out eyes or camera or brush.. it really is a discussion of semantics but an interesting one. c
I think you have to be an artist to see the art, but you don’t have to be an artist to create it, but then that leaves a lot of things undiscovered. You definitely capture life which to me looks like art, but then I’m not an artist so….
I’m going to have a cup of tea, my head hurts 🙂
Have the cup of tea looking at The Door. Because it was out chat about your door yesterday that sent me down this wave of thought.
I see art in many different things.
A perfectly cooked poached egg, a roast chicken, a delicious creamy cheese. Art is everywhere around us all the time. We must just open our eyes and look.
I LOVE the look of a perfectly poached egg.. c
It’s great that the pigs are helping you with the new gardens! The tough part here is that after our pigs turn over the soil, and eat all the roots, we must pick up the stones and ferry them away in wheelbarrows….and there are many big ones, as we are in the mountains. Then with a hoe and rake, try to smooth back over the land before replanting it in pasture grasses. And of course this is after we use electric fences to cut off the areas to be replanted. But then again, nobody said farming was easy!!! 🙂
NObody said farming was easy in Missouri either. Do you build rock walls with the rocks? Or mini mountains for the goats to climb on?
No, the pig walls must be electric fences, which, fortunately, are fairly easy to put up, take down and move around. The rocks in the goat year I am chucking into a big pile until I decide what to do with them. Rock walls….. a great option! 🙂
Artists have an eye for art. They recognize and therefore can create the artistic. But I don’t believe the have a corner on the market. Those stacked stones you mentioned– art. Lined up men’s shoes–art. Whatever its source, if we see the beauty in it then it is art.
Great words Mac. Thank you for chiming in. c
Nature itself is an arthouse. Whatever is the result of the creativity of an open mind is art of some sorts. It might not be recognizable by others, but this doesn’t matter. Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, the saying goes (I think) ;-). An artist foremost needs to please him/herself, not others. Whatever he considers of his output is art, is art.
Also the street – as is proven in your street photography. You are so right about pleasing yourself – i went in for wedding photography for a while – pleasing families full of strangers sure took the fun out of photography! c
O yes, its art.. baking a good loaf of bread, plating food to present it, looking at gardens, plants and how you plant it.. so very much art.. its all in the eye and in the feelings it gives.. the other day, I was leaning on my horse, just leaning.. enjoying that together moment and it was damp, and I looked at the flank and realized that I could “see” tall waving flowers in his hair and coat.. I had to get just the right angle, just the right lighting and cropped and printed.. everyone would think its a sand drawing or a impression artwork of flowers..
I remember the first time I did tiny micro photos of different things after I meet my hubby an then I would print them off and use them as the base to make amazing watercolor paintings.. so if you want to give it a different word, I am good with that.. but my vote.. o yes.. its art!
So art for you is when you create a piece of art from something you see. This is good! Thank you for adding your voice. c
The definition of art is the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power. Although it is typically in the form of painting or sculpture, art can be any expression of creativity. Therefore, I would say the farmy is full of art.
Lili loves art in the form of drawing and painting. I recently posted a picture of a painting she did in her art class. If you get a chance, go take a look at it here https://worldofweeks.com/2017/01/23/needed-update/. It’s the last picture on the post.
Naomi also loves art, but her creativity is in the form of acting. Another art form I know you love. And by the way, she got her next script. She is Thing 1 in her acting’s class short version of Seussical.
Lovely to catch up on what your artistic children are doing. c
Okay – good ole’ dictionary: Art – the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.
I think ART is what you appreciate or find beauty in. And Art for you maybe not be for me. I go to the modern museum often here in Fort Worth. It is a beautiful building – which the building is Art on its own. Some of the “Art” looks like finger painting to me – is it ART – well yes – I’m just not a person who appreciates it I guess. But I do love anything by Andy Warhol. Is a cartoon, say Peanuts, art? It was hand drawn by a true artist. In my eye – YES it is. And I really do appreciate some of the great hand drawn cartoons like Peanuts, Mutts and all the early Disney.
I think we are all artists because we all seek to create something.
True that appreciating a certain type of art is very personal. Your last sentence is great! c
I am a trained artist and an environmental designer, but I know so many people with that spark of aesthetics that I consider them artists as well. I believe it has to do with the ability to actually be in present time and see that fine wavelength of aesthetics in things, which is the eye of the artist. Then the trick is to bring what we see out into the world so others can see what we see. Then the product of that is art. But to be an artist only requires seeing! Celi, you are an artist my friend, with the heart and talent of a poet. I see it in every post. It’s a matter of art media or art form. For me life is my media, my art form. And I see that in you too. Just because there are other things in that life form, like mucking out the stalls, or digging in the dirt (which can also be an aesthetic experience) it’s all part of the reality.
My grandmother passed on some wise word to me once in one of her gentler moment she said “all women should put their hands into the soil every day. even just to pull a weed, every day feel the soil”.
See I don’t agree with you on one point. What you do, what you post, the pictures you take and how you describe it – that’s art. You have way more talent than you think sweet friend. XOXO – Bacon
Sweet Bacon – which reminds me I have to get some bacon out of the freezer for the weekend! Ha ha ha – sorry Bacon – had to say it! My bad!! c
Snorts and rolls with piggy laughter. It’s okay sweet friend <3 Mommy explains to me all of the time that I'm not *that* kind of bacon. XOXO – Bacon
Since your comments here (and not just this one!) prove that you have an artistic as well as a rather aristocratic (Artistocratic?) bent, I wonder if your namesake isn’t Sir Francis Bacon anyway. 🙂
Kathryn
aaww – I only wish sweet friend! XOXO – Bacon
The post reminded me of the debates from art appreciation class in college–how do you define art? who is an artist and why? when is something not considered art? is art simply creation, and if you create something then can you label it art? I rather enjoy existential debates such as this… 🙂
The pigs, by the way, seem to be doing a marvelous job!
I love that word existential too.. c
Beauty or Art is in the eye of the beholder. I’m left cold by some installations but will stop and wonder at the ‘art’ of a ploughed field. Land Art is one of my favourite forms – the ephemeral ice arch or petals in the grass – works by Andy Goldsworthy or Richard Long. I went to one exhibition that was cow dung on glass, which was much, much better than it sounds.
At least the yellow on your hammer means you can see it from a distance.
Land Art – an excellent contribution. As to the hammer i will actually choose brightly coloured tools (especially secateurs) that have neon coloured handles, easier to see when they turn up in the COMPOST! c
So we go to the handy dandy dictionary for a definition: Art — the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.
That being said, I believe it can be accomplished and/or appreciated by any and all of us, in all the circumstances you described. Appreciation is perhaps done on an intellectual level if one is trained as an artist, but certainly everyone can appreciate art on an emotional level. And I think all things created are a form of art… some ‘good’ art will occur at times by chance, but for someone to produce again and again, then that is a talent and/or skill.
Ha! My most difficult, yet compelling, boyfriend was also an artist. The arrogance was a little tough to take at times but I did learn a great deal, am glad that period in my life ended but wouldn’t wipe the slate clean, not for a second. Cooling down here also, and hope you have a lovely day too. ~ Mame 🙂
I learnt a lot from my troublesome artist boyfriend too , I had a darkroom in his studio – we about drove each other to drink! But the discussions were excellent.. c
Art is in the eye of the beholder….someone said that- I believe we are all artists as we take care even folding laundry. Your blog is a work of art weaving
words with stunning images. That young pig with the stunning orange body and brilliant white face is amazing art!
As for the hammer- I think we all do that when our minds are busy with our internal work check off list!
Have a lovely day!
Those hammers – I cannot tell you how many I have bought and now I can only find ONE – c
Some of your animal companions are definitely smart enough to have ‘borrowed’ all those missing hammers and be working on some project in secret. Possibly just prising open various doors and gates they weren’t supposed to breach… 😉
Definitions of ‘art’ always talk about humans… but it seems that some animals are ‘artists’.
There are dogs, elephants, pigs, dolphins etc. which paint – and you can see there is a thought process going on both as they paint and in the results.
If you have a spare second, follow this link – you’ll see the cutest little pigs covered with paint… and wonderful art. The painting done by a dolphin is very interesting and beautiful. http://www.sharenator.com/14_animals_that_can_paint/
This is interesting – Vogelkop Gardener Bowerbird nests are highly decorated to help the males build woo females. In some places they’re tall towers made of sticks resting upon a round mat of dead black moss, decorated with snail shells, acorns, and stones. In other places, they’re woven towers built upon a platform of green moss, adorned with fruits, flowers, and severed butterfly wings.
What really makes this ‘art’ is each bird has their own tastes and prefer certain colors. Objects are moved and the birds will return to change the arrangement. And get this – . “Decorating decisions are not automatic but involved trials and ‘changes of mind,'” wrote UCLA physiologist Jared Diamond, one of the first researchers to intensively study the birds’ complex bowers. Diamond discovered that bower building was not innate, at least not entirely. The younger birds had to learn how to build the best bowers, either through trial and error, or by watching more experienced birds, or both.”
So – by using the definition itself – animals can be artists!!
PS When I taught young children I learned that a painting which looks like a bit of a mess is actually the child’s attempt at representational art. If asked, they could tell you what each ‘blob’ was meant to be. (You’re a mother – you already know this!) ; o )
Now that is definitely a tack I have not taken – wonderful addition to the discussion -especially the birds – I will check out the link thank you Cecile.. c
I thought of you when I the two adorable white piggy faces… smeared in paint! ; o )
Art is found wherever the act of creation is practiced. That act starts with observation, and sometimes that’s all that is needed – to see the beauty of the old jacket hanging on the back of the door, or the glory of a perfect loaf of bread. Some take this observation and appreciation further, and create the environment for this observation to occur; they paint, sculpt, spin, sew, take photos which capture the essence of something observed. We are all artists in a small way, but Artists (with a big A) are those who make it their life’s practice to observe, create and celebrate. Your blog is a prime example of observation and celebration of the world around you. I reckon you deserve a big A….
Just a little ‘a’ for me. And thank you – excellent thoughts.. c
What you describe, c, is what I call ‘artistry’. >
Artistry – thank you Misky – a good word.. c
They say left handed people are more artistic because they use the right side of their brain more, I don’t know. I am especially drawn to folk art of all kinds. I also love realistic art. If it speaks to me, I like it. I suppose that is the emotional aspect of art. I took an art history class in college and learned so much. It was very interesting. I find myself wanting to “make” something often. Maybe that is art wanting to be realized, whether it be painted furniture, crocheted hats, a quilt, or a book display in my library that is just right. Which makes me think of the people that do window designs for big department like on 5th Ave in New York City. But I digress. Thank you for pulling me out of my left brain this morning. I needed that. Those pigs photo almost tell a story. “Pig 1: I found something delicious here..yum yum…..Pig 2: hey, what did you find and move over so I can have some too!” So, you will be planting a garden in the field on the right by the barn (point of view of coming up the driveway)? Will you still have a garden behind the house? That is why the hammer gets lost….thinking about something else and then something else while doing a task. I do it all the time! Have a good day! Don’t forget to get out the bacon.
Yes you are exactly right – a new garden on the right. right and right. This new garden will be for the veg that we grow in bigger quantities for the restaurant. Nice long straight arty rows!! c
I love reading the comments almost as much as your posts. I think didirksd said it quite well. You are an artist in the way you write and the photographs you take. I think most of us have a basic, innate need to create. I consider myself a crafter. I borrow ideas and try to duplicate them to some marginal degree. I don’t have that initial vision though the desire is always there. You take raw life and make us see the beauty in it. I think art starts in the heart and manifests outward. This was a lovely read and I always love my visits here. Thank you . Have a wonderfilled day. Marlene
Afternoon Marlene – great comment – I hope you are getting some sun now? After all your rotton weather?
Sun pops in and out but mostly dry till the 1st. Then rain for 10 days. I don’t have to shovel it and can drive in it. 🙂
If Tracey Emin can put a pile of rubbish together in the Tate and call it art..then everything is art depending on how you see it. I see a pile of trash, Tracey sees something I do not..weird lady
I LOVE the Tate – especially the gift shop – in fact I love all art gallery gift shops, sometimes more than the exhibitions! Now that is weird! c
Hah, now that really struck a chord! I, too, have been known to spend more time in the museum/cathedral/opera house gift shop than in the actual place. My family all know to expect some weird and wonderful gifts from my global travels. I’ve really enjoyed this conversation and agree that you are a talented photographer and a word-weaver par excellence.
I have found some of the niftiest stuff in our local hospital gift shop!
By dictionary definition, not all artists are craftsmen and not all craftsmen are artists; I would extrapolate and extend it to say that not all created things are artful and not all artful things are created. But ultimately, as I said many times when teaching, it’s a heck of a lot easier to define what art might *not* be than what it *is*—the discussion remains interesting because it’s essentially unanswerable. Our experiences not only differ from others’ but shift over time to change our attitudes toward the many aspects of sensory and intellectual experience we’d try to define as art-or-not. Beauty? Utility? Intent? Happy accident? Price? Emotional content? Newness? So many questions, so impossible to make finite. That, to me, is the delight of the whole thing, and what makes my life richer is the perpetual search. Every time I think to address the question I am likely to enliven and add pleasure to the moment, to the day, simply because I pay greater attention to those things I do find artful in my own ways.
Beautifully put – thank you Kathryn. This is a great discussion – and definitely a richer thought shared with you all. c
When I was just a schoolgirl wanting to get into one of NZ’s two prestigious art schools, my teacher told me art was very simple. It is the Greek word for ‘skill’.
When you see it that way you can appreciate any creative endeavour without judging or judgment. Enjoy a childs’ creative work for its skill in context, just as much as Duchamp’s ‘Fontana’, it is the context which gives meaning to the work.
Then the conversation begins….. and you have Art.
Yes it was Duchamp – thank you, I write too fast and too early. I am trying to think what I was thinking of calling up Picasso. Anyway yes – skill – technique? Your photography is wonderful – all your images are real works of art.. c
Well, I don’t know if it’s art, but I think the picture of your out-of-place hammer is quite nice. Personally, I think it’s art not because it’s presented as art, but because it’s perceived that way.
Yes – that is an excellent way of looking at art.. c
It is fun to contemplate and discuss, but in the end it matters not how each or all of us define art or even who does it or how it comes about. It is enough to appreciate our human ability to see, create and discuss it! A colleague once stated he just did the work for himself, if someone else wanted to call him an artist, that was fine, it was not for him to say. I tend to agree.
Were you thinking of Marcel Duchamp and his urinal?
Oh my goodness you are right – it was Duchamp. I was thinking of the painting of the toilet – was there a painting? by Picasso. have I lost my mind? But also did he not use found objects and use them? I had better get back into my reading – thank you for pointing that out for me.. c
To me art is the formal way that we view beauty. But beauty is everywhere. I can stare at gardens for hours. Its something about the play of color and the play of wind and, of course, the scents. If it is well-balanced (whether formal or informal), then it becomes irresistable. I thnk artist take beauty and create art — but we all love and appreciate beauty. And, I do count some landscape artists and chefs in the category of artists. I think the way some chefs plate their creations — so beautiful and the flavors so complimentary or surprising… well, that’s art to me. I don’t consider myself an artist, but I sure appreciate beauty. Your photos are beautiful and go beyond “just documentary.” Many of them could hang on a gallery wall.
[J] Art is more than just being pleasing to the eye – which is the province of the architectural/interior/graphic designer. It’s true that it’s no more than a hundred years ago that art was more likely to be used to signify skill. The Artful Dodger was so named by Dickens for his skill in evading capture. That meaning lives on even now in words and fixed expressions like ‘artful’ (meaning skilled in manipulation or deceipt), ‘he has the art of hitting the nail on the head everytime’ (metaphorically, perhaps also literally). These days art means a work which is the result of excercise of skill and forethought, and is intended to support a metaphysical as well as literal interpretation. In short it is not accidental. However it may give the appearance or illusion of being so, even to the creator, when the work in question where the creator’s skills and aesthetic sense are so deeply ingrained, so profound, as to result in works of art being created without apparent conscious effort or will – as if by accident.
Howard Nemerov said once, when asked by a student journalist what it is like to be a poet, “I feel like a poet while I am writing a poem, and for about five minutes afterwards.” I hope the student appreciated the humor and didn’t feel put down, thinking he shouldn’t have asked such a question. But at least one message got through to me: art is something you do with what you’ve got; it makes you feel good. Everything else is life, and just as good. Perhaps another message was about the difference between experiencing art, whether from inside or out, and talking about it.* A third message could have to do with a kind of humility about your work. Let it speak for itself. No need to promote or defend. It’s all good, unless it’s all for show. The funny thing is, I read several of Nemerov’s books and essays over the years, and now I can remember only two of his poems , and those only vaguely. But that little exchange with the journalist sure stayed with me. It helped me maintain perspective on my own work (teaching) and kept me from taking myself too seriously.
* I do like the “talking about it” too. Often it expands the experience. So I look forward to the comments here. Many new ideas or alternate views, but always upbeat. And concise. ( Can you imagine being in a book club type group with more than 60 persons, all eager to talk? ) As in a poem, the form exerts it’s own artistic control.
I can’t answer the question about art, but I do know that we humans like beauty and beauty is its own thing.
Hi Celi. Do you think of nature as art or only when it is presented to you as such? Nature creates beautiful art but is nature an artist? One can certainly appreciate the art in nature just by observing it I think, and it doesn’t even have to be captured with a camera or a brush or a piece of clay. Something to ponder, for sure.
My mother was a professional artist and draftsman (did very complex drafting drawings during World War II while my father spent 4 years in North Africa and Italy in the Army Corps of Engineers). She always said that art was anything natural or created by any living creature that provoked an emotional response upon seeing or hearing or feeling it, and that every one was an artist. I think she was right. The dictionary definition is a bit too limited. I’ve seen art works by various animals which are very bit as good and moving in some way as those produced by people. There are natural works (rocks with roots and dead leaves, a blossom, a landscape, etc.) which are unquestionably works of art for me. The sound of rain, a baby cooing, the deep sigh of a horse after the saddle is removed and grooming begins, those are all art for me as much as a symphony or song. I suspect it is more a means of looking, hearing, feeling our surroundings and the things in them.
Might I suggest wearing a carpenter’s apron (also called a nail apron) while working around the farmy? It is a very handy item. My father was a master carpenter and I learned just how useful that belt with the various pockets can be, plus there’s a place to slip your hammer so it’s always there, just hang up the apron when you come in and all the tools, roll of wire or string, roll of tape, pliers, pruners, hammer are there too. They used to be made of leather, some with a heavy cotton web belt, now they are made of all kinds of modern materials, the usefulness is the same though. [ http://www.menards.com/main/tools-hardware/tool-storage/tool-bags-belts/tmcguire-nicholas-ool-and-nail-apron/p-1444452496742-c-9186.htm?tid=-5266320866771124196 ] I have a several, one for housecleaning, one for carpentry/home repairs, one for gardening/yard work, one for travel (it’s great to belt around the passenger seat of the the truck if you’re alone on a long drive for stuff like candy bars, phone, sun glasses and whatever else.
Stay dry and warm, snow and colder coming.
There are artists in India that create fantastic paintings on the floor with coloured sand – to emphasise the transience of everything. Definitely all of life can be art! Your posts for example! 💚
You beautifully described life Celi. Is life not art?
Ah so you leave things in strange places too! 😃
This is so beautiful. Could you check my blog and give me a feedback. Please don’t refrain from telling where I could improve. Thank You. http://www.thesurrealrealist.com
Art is so subjective. In your post it appears you are struggling to define what art is, but is it helpful to have boundaries? Why can’t a garden be art? I go back and forth with this debate as well, but I always stop to think- does it matter? If it’s art, it’s art. If someone calls it art, isn’t it? I think boundaries can be restrictive and ultimately limit people from considering themselves creative, and therefore participating in creative activities.
Then again, from another perspective, Richard Serra in an interview once said design is NOT art because it’s functional, ultimately serving some sort of purpose. He said art is useless, it has no purpose, but that’s what’s great about it. I found myself kind of agreeing with him. Once again, I found myself asking the same question you are asking, “what even is art??”
What a great comment! Thank you.. c