Comments on: Seeing With An Artist’s Eye – Aren’t We The Lucky Ones?! https://www.howtopastel.com/2020/08/seeing-with-an-artists-eye/ Info, opinion, and training on how to pastel with artist Gail Sibley BFA, MA Fri, 06 Oct 2023 19:34:11 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.4 By: Gail Sibley https://www.howtopastel.com/2020/08/seeing-with-an-artists-eye/#comment-25159 Mon, 17 Aug 2020 00:09:51 +0000 https://www.howtopastel.com/?p=12248#comment-25159 In reply to Curt Eley.

Hah hah Curt. As you described what you saw I could COMPLETELY see AND feel your excitement. I get it!!!!! I got excited too.
Now I want to see the painting.
Go on…get to it!! 😀

]]> By: Curt Eley https://www.howtopastel.com/2020/08/seeing-with-an-artists-eye/#comment-25151 Sun, 16 Aug 2020 13:32:56 +0000 https://www.howtopastel.com/?p=12248#comment-25151 I, also, tend to see things others don’t….never really thought to give it a name like, “artist’s eye”…but how appropriate. Our house was built in 1950 and has old fixtures in the bathroom. One day, the sunlight coming through the shuddered window beside the sink created an interesting angled light pattern…. creating bright highlights on the chrome fixtures and at the same time, some of the light went through a bottle of soap creating a brilliant blue on the wall behind it, along with the cough medicine creating a brilliant ruby red spot next to it. Paige thought I was nuts when I brought the camera in to take a photo…haven’t painted it, yet…. Booo!
Loved your post….

]]> By: Gail Sibley https://www.howtopastel.com/2020/08/seeing-with-an-artists-eye/#comment-25110 Thu, 13 Aug 2020 23:28:51 +0000 https://www.howtopastel.com/?p=12248#comment-25110 In reply to Elaine Fritz.

What a PERFECT example of seeing with an artist’s eye Elaine! And so deeply described that we can all picture it. I’m sure we can all relate, having had similar experiences.
Thanks for sharing it!!

]]> By: Elaine Fritz https://www.howtopastel.com/2020/08/seeing-with-an-artists-eye/#comment-25109 Thu, 13 Aug 2020 23:25:54 +0000 https://www.howtopastel.com/?p=12248#comment-25109 Just this morning I stood in my kitchen gazing into my stainless steel sink planning my morning when I noticed some drops of water in the bottom and began painting them with my eye – the center of the drops were slightly lighter than the sink, and gradually darkened until reaching the bottom edge, creating a roundness but there was no cast shadow. The top edges were bright, reflecting the light that illuminated the sink back. There were bright spots in the middle of the darkest shadow on the bottom, reflecting the light that came from behind me. I wish I had actually duplicated these fascinating 3-dimensional drops in my sink but the experience proves, as you say, that an artist sees beauty everywhere.

]]> By: Gail Sibley https://www.howtopastel.com/2020/08/seeing-with-an-artists-eye/#comment-25084 Tue, 11 Aug 2020 18:08:24 +0000 https://www.howtopastel.com/?p=12248#comment-25084 In reply to Judi Moncur.

Thanks Judi! And YES, the artist’s eye can certainly be developed. Deep looking certainly helps. As does hanging around with an artist 😀 And being curious about this way of seeing the world. And PRACTICE! As you are doing!

Thanks for the reminder that the brain continues to change. We can create new neural pathways by learning new things – a habit worth forming!

]]> By: Gail Sibley https://www.howtopastel.com/2020/08/seeing-with-an-artists-eye/#comment-25083 Tue, 11 Aug 2020 18:05:08 +0000 https://www.howtopastel.com/?p=12248#comment-25083 In reply to Mary.

Thanks so much Mary!!
I’m glad you also enjoyed the progressions of the piece. I am always surprised when I look back at the start to see where the piece first started!

It’s always a mark of progress when we have that glimmer of hope that we are moving forward. And values are hard to see! It’s taken me years to get to a place when I feel fairly comfortable discerning them but I also have moments of – what the heck is the value of this colour? But as you say, there’s soooo much joy in using pastels that the process itself is the greatest joy.

]]> By: Gail Sibley https://www.howtopastel.com/2020/08/seeing-with-an-artists-eye/#comment-25082 Tue, 11 Aug 2020 17:59:37 +0000 https://www.howtopastel.com/?p=12248#comment-25082 In reply to Marion Boddy-Evans.

Oh how lovely Marion! Thanks for sharing the ‘game’ of ‘what-are-you-seeing?’ – how fun!!! And eye-opening too 😀

]]> By: Gail Sibley https://www.howtopastel.com/2020/08/seeing-with-an-artists-eye/#comment-25081 Tue, 11 Aug 2020 17:57:57 +0000 https://www.howtopastel.com/?p=12248#comment-25081 In reply to Barbara Huber.

Barbara, what a lovely things to say! I’m so glad you get so much from the HowToPastel blogs 😀

]]> By: Judi Moncur https://www.howtopastel.com/2020/08/seeing-with-an-artists-eye/#comment-25075 Tue, 11 Aug 2020 08:12:00 +0000 https://www.howtopastel.com/?p=12248#comment-25075 Lovely shades of blue against the peachy colours of her face. I am always amazed at the different ways you use colour. But I guess that is the artists‘ eye. If you’ve been artists for most of your lives, I imagine it comes naturally. I think I had some of this when I was young but lost it over many years of teaching (not art) and having to be super-organised. But now, being retired, I’m painting and drawing more and more and I’m looking at patterns and images without thinking about it- so we can all learn and train this ability – the brain is plastic, after all.

]]> By: Gail Sibley https://www.howtopastel.com/2020/08/seeing-with-an-artists-eye/#comment-25065 Mon, 10 Aug 2020 17:32:23 +0000 https://www.howtopastel.com/?p=12248#comment-25065 In reply to Julia Menard.

And Julia, thank you for your beautiful words and the oh-so-perfect Blake quote! You captured the nub, so particularly, of what artists do – “see deeply.” And yes, taking time to really see is a mindfulness practice – love that you’ve pointed that out!

In the name of clarity and focus, I ended up editing out the part I wrote about your influence on this blog post topic but happily, you’ve given me the opportunity to share it!

My friend Julia Menard was saying to me the other day that she’d done a sketch of the sea and rocks while on a wee getaway. She used to love art in school but had hardly done any art-making since then. She talked about the incredible feeling of connection with the landscape she’d had as she paused, looked, and deeply observed the landscape. (Julia’s active creative talent is her writing which really shines through in her blog. Check out her recent ‘discoveries’ about Lilies here.)

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