Quilting Patterns

Yesterday, I went to my local art gallery and in it was a quilting exhibit.  As I examined all of the many different styles, I noticed that each one had a pattern or rhythm to it.  This is to say that each quilt had a motif that was repeated in a consistency throughout the piece.  A few different ones stood out to me over the others, however.  One pattern seemed to have little people repeated throughout it.  Another didn't repeat its colors, but it had a flowing rhythm to it that reminded me of falling rain.  A third quilt had a specific pattern of repeated black and white diamond-like figures.  All of these quilts consisted of certain patterns or rhythms that made each of them a unique design for society to view.  Patterns are all over society from repeated parking lot spaces to the windows that line a huge city building.  My friend Morgan discovered a really cool rhythmic pattern with the Nilla Wafer boxes.  If they are lined up next to each other, they create a flowing pattern of wafers.  Patterns are both fun and fascinating.  Since they are all around us in society, they are easily enjoyed but can also  be overlooked for that reason unfortunately, so keep an eye out!

(quilting image provided by my phone)

(Nilla Wafers image provided by my friend Morgan)

Abstract Art

Today I was pondering the idea of abstract of non-objective art.  Abstract art is not an image of something; it is an expression of something like feelings or an emotion.  I was wondering, though, how this particular type of art is determined to be unique and brilliant or confusing and, well, crap.  For example, normally, a figure painting of a person would be considered good if it resembled the person it was depicting.  How do you depict emotions, though, in a way that is considered artistically brilliant or good? Sometimes, the ways that artists do abstract art to me looks like a child may have done it.  On the other hand, artists like Olga Burtseva, Joseph Giunta, and, of course, Pablo Picasso has greatly influenced society with their uniqueness.  Their paintings are just so amazing and beautiful.  When you get the chance to observe one of these paintings, you just can't help but feel in awe of the design presented to you.  Now, you may not quite understand the design, but you know it's there and you can just feel that something was happening when the artist painted it.  These and other abstract artists put their emotions and feelings on display for society to look at and observe.

(image of Picasso's "Musketeer with Pipe" thanks to:  http://www.picassoandmatisse.com/paintings/picasso/big/picasso_Musketeer_with_Pipe_and_Flowers_1968.jpg)

Statues

I was thinking about statues today.  They are everywhere in every town, and most of the time they are there as a dedication or representation of something.  Their purpose to society is that they are little reminders of how great someone once was or an important event that took place at that location.  Sometimes, though, in my opinion, they are just pointless pieces of art.  For example, I went to this Target one time and on your way into the shopping center was a statue of a rust-colored cowboy wrangling a giant silver horse.  Now, on one hand, it was intriguing to look at; but on the other hand, it was just way too big and I had no idea what it had to do with Target.  To me, it was a pointless piece of art.  Personally, if I were to erect a statue in front of a Target I would have it mean something like a memorial to a person who helped build it or donated to it or something.  I just don't like random things where they don't belong.  They just don't make sense.  Economically speaking, it is a waste of money, too.  Statues should be designed to have meaning and placed in place of significance in society where they won't cause confusion or stipulation.

image thanks to:  http://img161.imageshack.us/img161/3562/statue1bb.jpg)