I went to the internet and looked up “WHY” – dictionary.com had as it’s first line : “adverb – for what? for what reason, cause, or purpose?: “Why did you behave so badly?”

That is a rather negative example of the use of the word “Why”.  It would be better to say “Why do I always smile when I see you?”
Anyway, onward with the word why. In my years of engineering study and teaching at the university, “why” was key.
Before an engineer can design and build a new thing, the engineer needs to have answers to a lot of “Why’s”.  In designing a new engine, a new rocket, or a new management organization the engineer needs to know why metals behave the way the do, why a propellent responds to pressure and heat the way it does, or why humans respond to organizational motivations the way they do.  Organizational engineering was my field in the university and in my working years. 
But now in retirement, I get to play. I get to study something an old fashioned engineer like me knows nothing about – I can study ART.  
As I sit here in my library I must have 800-1000 books. Most of the books have a cover designed to be appealing to the purchaser. An artist designed them. I counted in my house more than a dozen pictures on the walls – selected to enhance the decoration of the home.
So, why is the art on a book cover appealing.  Why does that picture enhance the decoration of my home?  I have almost no idea. But the question controls the way I look at & study things.

Neiman Marcus page 208 – “The Christmas BOOK”

I looked and studied  page 208 of Neiman Marcus Christmas catalog and saw this this $1,500 mixer. With unlimited dollars to spend on a photographer – I am sure the photographer was one of the best in the world – why did the photographer lay out the photograph exactly that way? Why are the relational elements of the photo worthy of filling up page 208? You see, I have many “Why’s” about each picture I see.
Why are the bones angled to the dog, why the weak colored powder in the lower left, why the vertical lines in the window pane at the top of the photo, why a dark colored dog, why the silver bowl, why the dog looking into the bowl, why the position of the dogs head at the quadrant, why the angle of the mixer, and on and on my “why’s” go on.
Guess what – I tried to use Perla instead of the dog and made a piece of art using many of relational elements of the Neiman Marcus photo on page 208. During my five hour study I positioned the hay bale many different places – I changed the brightness of the hay bale by Perla’s nose, I changed the angle of the tractor, I changed the vertical tree line at the top of the photo, I blurred the back ground, played with contrast colors on Perla’s nose, the color tone on the jeans, I changed the spilled grain, on and on go the things I tried – often using page 208 as my guide saying to myself “Why did the Neiman Marcus photographer do each element that way?”

Jim’s art -” Perla at her Neiman Marcus Christmas”

As I said – I know little of art, but I sure had fun playing around for five hours – Hope you enjoyed seeing Perla’s Christmas  gift. Hope you find 5 hours to play around with a photograph someday.

Oh my, as you swing through all the junk mail you get this Christmas season & before you throw it away – study the art on it –  then go make some art of your own – even if it is only a doodle while sipping your morning coffee!