Art

art 1 |ärt|noun1 the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination,typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producingworks to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power: the art of the Renaissance | great art is concerned with moral imperfections | she studied art in Paris.• works produced by such skill and imagination : his collection of modern art | an exhibition of Tibetan art | [as adj. ] an art critic.• creative activity resulting in the production of paintings, drawings, or sculpture : she's good at art.2 ( the arts) the various branches of creative activity, such as painting, music, literature, and dance : the visual arts | [in sing. ] the art of photography.3 ( arts) subjects of study primarily concerned with the processes and products of human creativity and social life, such as languages, literature, and history (as contrasted with scientific or technical subjects) : the belief that the arts and sciences were incompatible | the Faculty of Arts.

I found some old Prisma Colors in my attic a few days ago-  So, I pulled up a recently snapped picture of Dan at the beach and decided to see what I could do.  After my hand-me-down dining room table was sufficiently covered in chalk dust and the pads of my fingers blackened, I realized I'd created a loosely interpreted version of the original.  

I took an art class for teachers in college.  Every few weeks we worked in a different medium, creating projects that early childhood students could make.  At the end of the semester we compiled a portfolio with all our works.  While the portfolio sits on my desk at work, I pulled one piece out several years ago and framed it.  The assignment from what I remember was to find a picture from a magazine and then recreate it on paper using pastels and watercolors.

Painted my junior year in college, this piece started out as a gift for my brother whose enormous mantle was my inspiration.  The canvas measures in around 30 x 36 and seemed gargantuan when it was blank. I can't remember the original vision I had-  what I do remember is that it was nothing like the final product.  I stood in the sunlit kitchen of my college house brushing stroke after stroke of paint until it finally transformed itself.  It wound up not being a gift for my brother-  it has since hung in many a room in my different houses over the years.  It has most recently taken up residence on a wall in Dan's living room where it looks quite at home.