Reading jumbled text

Can you read this?

Supposedly only 1 in 4 people can do it. I find that the less you concentrate the easier it is to do it.  What does this say about the people who can read this easily like me.  It certainly explains why I don't see typos ;-)
 
Passages like these have been bouncing around the internet for years. But how do we read them? And what do our incredibly low standards for what's legible say about the way our brains work? Maybe, we can read this because the human mind does not read every letter by itself, but the word as a whole.  To find out more check out the study from Cambridge University: http://www.mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk/people/matt.davis/cmabridge/

I conducted a very small experiment with my colleagues at work by watching their approach to reading this. Some tried the de-coding approach (which number equals which letter) some just looked at it and figured it out within a few seconds. It was interesting to watch how people try to figure things out with some being very analytic and others following their intuition.

Do you believe that there are linkages between our ability to read this and our artistic tendencies.  Would this be easier to read if you preferred abstract versus photorealism?
What are your views on this?  Even with those who are more representational artists, there are large variances. Are those who paint more loosely more easily able to read this?  Please share your views by leaving comments below. 

Is this similar to looking at a painting of loose style and being able to interpret the various components. Take a look at this painting from Richard Stephens, does anyone have challenges in seeing the flowers?

Have a great week.

Danielle

Legendary art collectors Herb and Dorothy

Last weekend I participated in an art tour to New York City (NYC) organized by a local association. On the way there, we watched the documentary on  Herb and Dorothy Vogel who are art collectors that amassed a priceless collection.  Although they collected minimal and conceptual art, which is not my cup of tea, the movie is nevertheless a fascinating one.

Maybe my American friends had heard of this interesting story, but I hadn't.  Herb and Dorothy Vogel spent their married life living in a 450-square-foot one-bedroom apartment in Manhattan, New York. Their earnings were very modest; Herb never earned more than $23,000 a year and  Dorothy was a reference librarian at the Brooklyn Public Library. They lived frugally.

One of their salaries paid for the rent, food and day to day necessities, the other salary was used for their passion - collecting minimal and conceptual art. Herb spent a considerable amount of time in the library reading about art.

In 1962, the year they were married, they bought a small sculpture made from metal by the artist John Chamberlain. They had no idea that the joint purchase would be the first of thousands.  They bought art for the love of the individual pieces and the thrill of a good deal. They developed a methodical system for scouting, assessing, and purchasing art - most of the time directly from the artist.

Each week, the couple visited dozens of galleries and studios. They spent much time with the artists, mostly unknown at the time, to get to know them and negotiating prices. Aside from liking the art, they had 3 criteria:

1. The art work had to be affordable
2. The art work had to fit in their apartment;
3. The art work had be transportable via taxi or subway.

from Herbanddorothy.com/Fine Line Media Inc.

By the early 80's, the size of their collection was overwhelming and the Vogels had gotten rid of most of their furniture except their bed and dining table (see photo above) to make room to store their art. And still there was no more room. They began meeting with curators and evaluating their options. They knew they wanted to donate their collection instead of selling it, and they liked the US National Gallery, which is free to the public and maintains a policy against selling their art. In 1990, the Vogel collection (more than 2,400 works) was transferred to the US National Gallery.

The National Gallery paid the Vogels a small annuity in exchange for their generous donation. However, as can be expected, the Vogels continued to collect art. With the annuity, the Vogels collected another +1,500 pieces of art.

In 2012, Forbes magazine estimated the Vogels collection to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Sadly, Herb died in July 2012, at the age of 89. Dorothy, who was 13 years younger still lives.

Aside from the fascinating story on how this couple amassed a multi million dollar art collection, this movie is about passion about art and the love between this couple.  I suggest you find a copy and watch it.  Let me know what you think.

Have a great week
Danielle

Mentoring and art

Some of the artists that I know have had the benefit of having mentors. Finding a mentor would be something desirable for many aspiring artists like myself.

I don't know much about mentoring in the art world, however, I'm guessing that the benefits are similar to mentoring in the business/public service world.

If it's similar to the business world, mentoring is a rewarding and enriching experience that I strongly encourage people to consider. Mentors are valuable because they take the time to share their wisdom and insights. I would not have had the successes I have had at work without having opened myself up to the benefits of mentoring.

I've also had the privilege of watching mentees grow and develop as I mentor them. Mentoring will build relationships that could last a lifetime, and which are founded on a deep mutual understanding. You can't ask for better than that!

I imagine that art mentors can see and assist where we are struggling and where we are succeeding so that they can point out high impact changes we can make to improve ourselves.

So how does one go about getting an art mentor? Anyone have any ideas how to find one?

Here is this week's art find -= Mark McDermott.

Have a good week
Danielle

Tip to experiment with your paintings

A few weeks ago, the local watercolour society held a critique session. I had already attended 2 other critique sessions in the past year.  However, this one was especially interesting because I learned a tip that allows anyone to experiment with their paintings without actually putting paint on the painting.

At this session, we put a large piece of plexiglass over the painting.  The concept is to mimic changes you're considering to apply to the paintings. You make those experimental changes on the plexiglass to see how they could impact the painting.

During the critique session, we increased values, colour warmth, added shadows, etc. I've since used this approach when considering what colours to use to provide different moods to painting or where to place certain elements. 

So how does this work exactly?  Since the watercolour paint does not stick to plexiglass, you must mix your paint with a bit of dish soap so it sticks to the plexiglass.  Do not add water. Then you apply the paint to the plexiglass (which is on top of your painting) and look at the impact. If it's not quite what you're looking for, wipe down the plexiglass and try something different. 

Have you ever looked at a painting that you are satisfied with and were afraid if you continued adding to it that you might ruin it. Well you can try painting on the plexiglass to see if what you are considering would enhance the painting or not.

I'm sure there are numerous uses for this.  Would love to hear how else you put this tip to good use.

This week's art find is Eugen Chisnicean. Don't you love this monochrome painting?  His paintings are normally quite colourful.

Have a great week

Danielle

 

p.s. we've had this blog for more than a year. Thanks for your support.