ESSAY ON PHOTOS VS. WATERCOLOR PAINTINGS

THERE IS A DIVISION DEEP DOWN IN MY SOUL AND UP INSIDE MY BRAIN; IT'S ALL ABOUT COLORS AND LINES, SHADOWS AND LIGHT, DISTANCE AND CLOSE-UP SCENES. IT'S ALL ABOUT ART, AN EMOTIONAL PART OF MY MIND AND SOUL THAT HAS KEPT ME DREAMING FOR YEARS OF THE TIME WHEN I WOULD HAVE TIME TO PAINT THIS AND THAT, TIME TO TAKE PHOTOS OF THIS AND THAT. IN DUE TIME, THE BIBLE WILL BE READ AGAIN. IT IS THERE AND I SEE IT; I FEEL IT CALLING ME TO OPEN THE PAGES. WHY? I DON'T HAVE THE ANSWER TO HOW TO MAKE THE WORLD A SAFER AND MORE PEACEFUL PLACE AND I WONDER IF I COULD HAVE? HOW MANY WONDER ABOUT WHAT THEY MIGHT HAVE DONE? PRAISE GOD FOR THIS LIFE. WHERE WOULD I HAVE BEEN IF I HAD NEVER BEEN BORN? THAT IS ANOTHER QUESTION THAT MAKES ME IRRITABLE. DO I FEEL I SHOULD KNOW ALL? NOT REALLY, BUT MORE ABOUT LIFE...THAN I DO. WOULD I HAVE CHANGED A DAY IF I KNEW THEN WHAT I KNOW NOW? WHO CAN ANSWER SUCH A QUESTION. WE KNOW THAT SUCH A CHOICE WOULD HAVE PREVENTED THE GENERATIONS TO FOLLOW GENERATIONS. DID GOD KNOW THIS ALL ALONG, LONG BEFORE THE WORLD WAS MADE? HOW FAR BACK CAN WE KNOW THAT GOD WAS? IF WE CAN THINK THAT FAR BACK, THEN HE WAS. AND WHAT WILL WE BE DOING AFTER THIS LIFE? THAT IS A QUESTION MOST PEOPLE NEVER ASK THEMSELVES WITH THEIR EYES CLOSED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT UNTIL THEY GET OLD ENOUGH TO KNOW THAT IMMORTALITY DOES NOT EXIST FOR US UNTIL SOMETIME AND IN SOME OTHER PLACE.

SO, WHICH IS BEST, A PHOTO OR A WATER COLOR? DETAILS NEED ATTENTION IN WATER COLORS. THE WASHES ARE ALWAYS LACKING PERFECTION. NEVER IS AN ARTIST TOTALLY SATISFIED WITH A WORK CREATED BY ONE'S OWN HAND. BUT A CAMERA, THAT IS A DIFFERENT STORY. IF A PICTURE OF A MOUNTAIN RANGE IS IMPERFECT, IT IS NEITHER THE ARTIST'S FAULT OR THE CAMERA'S FAULT. THE ARTIST CREATED NEITHER THE CAMERA OR THE SCENE, THUS HE HAS NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR PERFECTION. AND ONE WHO IS AN ARTIST IS USUALLY HESITANT TO CRITICIZE THE CREATOR'S WORK.

ON RUGS, RINGS, LIFE, DEATH AND THE SANTA FE RAILROAD

SOONER OR LATER I WILL FIND OUT WHAT MAKES A GOOD RUG GREAT OR THE REASONS WHY SOME RUGS ARE SOLD THE FIRST DAY THEY ARE DISPLAYED AT THE STATION WHERE THE AMTRACK STOPS TWICE A DAY. ONCE EAST AND ONCE WEST, IT'S BETTER HEADING WEST, THE RUGS SEEN ON THE WESTERN JOURNEY SEEM BEST, AT LEAST TO ME, BUT NONE ARE AS GOOD AS THEY WERE WHEN IT WAS THE SANTA FE INSTEAD OF AMTRACK THAT STOPPED LONG ENOUGH TO FIND THE BEST TURQUOISE RING FOR THE PRICE. BUT HOW CAN A RING, OR A RUG, OR ANYTHING, REALLY, BE JUDGED BY THE PRICE? SURE, I COULD SAY IT WAS ALL RELEVANT; THAT'S THE ANSWER I RECALL GETTING ANYTIME I HAD A QUESTION THE PROFESSOR COULDN'T ANSWER. THAT WAS SO LONG AGO, LIKE THE TRAIN CALLED THE SANTA FE. THE TIME WILL COME WHEN THE LAST PASSENGER THAT RODE THE SANTA FE WILL BE DEAD AND GONE. THE PROFESSORS TOO. GONE? GONE WHERE? LET SIMPLY SAY DEAD AND LEAVE THE WHEREABOUTS ALONE. IF I COULD ANSWER WHERE THEY WENT I WOULD KNOW PRECISELY THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN RUGS AND RINGS AND WHAT IT IS THAT MAKES IT SO. ONE WOULD THINK WE WOULD KNOW BY NOW, CONSIDERING HOW MUCH MORE WE KNOW THAN OUR GREAT AUNTS AND UNCLES KNEW. BUT WHAT ABOUT THE INDIANS WHO MADE THE RUGS AND RINGS? ARTISTS ARE THE LAST TO RECEIVE THE RECOGNITION AND ACCOLADES

THERE ONCE WAS A SCHOOL OF ARTISTS KNOWN AS IMPRESSIONISTS...WELL THEY ARE BACK...AND THEY ARE CALLED OUR
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