Do You See What I See?

I base most of my artwork off of photographs. Other times, I use what's in my head to produce something on the canvas or paper. Ninety-nine percent of the time, the photographs are my own. The remaining 1% are mainly those from friends (Ryon Collins and Leigh Ann Pratt I'm looking at you both). My eyes are constantly looking at the world through an artist's eye. This has caused a heightened awareness of all things that are around me. I count this as a blessing.

Our daily routines are numbing. We wake, get ready, eat our breakfast, and we go out into the world. Usually, we just reverse the previous steps in order to end the day in bed asleep, prepared to repeat the cycle. Typing this fact simply bores me. Have we become so caught up in the routine that we have forgotten to live?

"Turtle" (sketch) - © 2014 J Travis Duncan

We've been blessed with these amazing things called senses. There's always the case of those who are born without some senses, others lose some as they progress through life, and sadly, some of us take the ones we have for granted and never use them. It really is a shame that some of the greatest gifts we have are never opened and used.

When is the last time you went outside and just quietly observed your surroundings? What does the sky look like today? Which direction is the wind coming from? Did you see the butterfly and dragonfly chasing one another around the tall grass? Did you smell the rain before it made its way to your location? Who knew that the petals on this Gerber Daisy felt so silky? How'd the summer fruit you just bought from a local grower taste? Was it sweeter than that in the store? Was it's color more vibrant? Each of these are just a few questions that beg for more awareness in life.

Every single one of us have been blessed with some gift or gifts. Each of those things brings us to a heightened awareness of some aspect of life. For myself, art has allowed me to see the lines and patterns on a turtle's shell, the way colors in nature complement one another, and an abundance of other astonishing details that I might have otherwise overlooked or ignored. For those without an artist's eye, think about your own gift and how it has heightened a sense, or senses, in you. Whatever you do, don't squander the gift you've been given!

The Art of J Travis Duncan