Poise, posture and balance - one look at the photograph here and you know that the surfer has spent a lot of hours on his board to gain the skills that he is exhibiting. A lot of hours practicing.
The visual arts require that same dedication of practice. Looking and seeing though are the skills I focus on. In that regard, the words of the great Canadian photographer Freeman Patterson are particularly poignant: "Seeing, in the finest and broadest sense, means using your senses, your intellect, and your emotions. It means encountering your subject matter with your whole being. It means looking beyond the labels of things and discovering the remarkable world around you".
On a journey to tune my art to the currents of nature, my practice is to experience nature with my whole being. That means slowing down, breathing out, and being mindful. It means looking for and seeing the colour, light and lines that are the basic elements of composition. Then, in search of the remarkable, I breathe out and try and catch the spiritual breath of what I am seeing and experiencing.
My practice is to see, not just with me eyes, but with my heart and my mind. In the doing, practice has allowed me to discover the translucent light of seashells, the colours of sunrise and the lines and patterns revealed by reflections. Ceaseless daily practice feeds my spirit and informs my artistic journey. Through practice, I am finding my way.
