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Last Saturday, I unknowingly rode my bike into the land of Unicorns right here in the Great Outdoors Community’s nature trails.

HISTORY:  The unicorn is a legendary creature that has been described since antiquity as a beast with a single large, pointed,  horn projecting from its forehead. The unicorn was mentioned by the ancient Greeks.

In European folklore, the unicorn is often depicted as a white horse with a long horn. In the  Renaissance, it was a woodland creature, a symbol of purity and grace, which could only be captured by a virgin.

Doing research for this posting, I found there are hundreds of Children Fairy Tale books about Unicorns or using Unicorn characters. I chose one to tell you just a little about how one story might use unicorns.  I chose this on also because I needed to find a way to use my digitized  photograph.

The book I chose –  “Into Luster, the Land of the Unicorns”  by Bruce Coville 1999:

Cara Diana Hunter and her grandmother realize they were being followed on their way home from the library. They duck into a church, but their pursuer follows. Cara is terrified, but her grandmother seems to expect this. Grandmother gives Cara her special amulet and instructs her to run to the top of the church tower. She says that when she gets to the top of the building to clutch the amulet and on the stroke of 12 say “Luster take me home.”

She tells Cara to find the Old One and tell her “the Wanderer is weary.”  Cara does does as told, and ends up in a magical forest in a different world. This world is called Luster and it is the home of the unicorns. Cara makes several friends on her way to find the Old One, who is actually the Queen of the unicorns, in order to deliver her grandmother’s message.

Some of the characters are:

• Cara – A young girl whose grandmother gives her an Amulet to get into Luster. Raised on the run by her grandmother, who is a “Wanderer” between our world and Luster.
• Old One – The Queen of the Unicorns and lives in Summerhaven. She is also known as Arabella Skydancer.
• Firethroat – A dragon snake who gives Cara the gift of tongues. Wise and philosophical.
• Lightfoot – A unicorn prince who Cara meets soon after she arrives in Luster. He helps Cara get to Summerhaven to see the Queen.
•  Dimblethum – A wolf like person. The Dimblethum saves Cara from a goblin-like Delver as soon as she arrives in Luster. He also assists her on her journey to see the unicorn Queen.
• Squijum – A funny looking animal (looks a bit like a raccoon).
• And many more!

When I sat down to write you a page this morning, I needed to make it quick.  Why? ’cause I spent all morning making a painting.

We have all seen abstract paintings, but if asked to paint an abstract, we brand new digital artists,  have no idea how to begin.

A simple change in mindset is needed to start an abstract. A move away from the need to copy and toward the understanding that the artist is in charge of what he thinks he sees.

Does his mind see a pattern that is fun to look at, or is it a pattern that clearly reveals a hidden images, or is it surreal where some images are quite clear but can’t be real – except in the artists mind of course.

Here is one I made this morning:

 It is most often a beautiful morning in our Florida home in the winter and in our summer home on the northern Island. So as I sat down to think abstract here is what happened – on my iPad of course. My mind combined the the north and south into this image that is fun to look at but can not be real except in my mind.

In my last post I said, pareidolia describes our tendency to see patterns in random data.  A study undertaken by Canadian researchers has added further evidence to the theory that we just can’t help seeing faces in random data. We’re hard-wired to recognise human faces.

I would like them to study me, because I think I am hard wired to see many more things than human faces in clouds, and everyday scenes.

Now, I am learning to paint over photographs and merge photographs on my iPad. I am also learning to send the results to all my other devices and then I can send them to this web site!

I create strange images but I hope you find some of the images pleasant to look at:

 

You might have to study the last one awhile to see me reflected on the left.

Anyway, when you are sitting and enjoying a rest, having a drink of water, or looking at the snow bank, the flower bed, or what ever – see if your mind can create a mix of colors to mentally view a piece of abstract art.  Be a pareidolia person.

 

 

Should I see a doctor? – Wonder if Medi Care will pay to get me fixed?

Oh, did you want me to tell you what I am talking about?

Pareidolia is a term for seeing patterns in random data. Some of my examples are seeing a likeness of a teddy bear in the clouds, maybe a hole in the clouds that looks like an eye,  or an image of a dog that is really a tree trunk.

In general Pareidolia describes our tendency to see patterns in random data.  A study undertaken by Canadian researchers has added further evidence to the theory that we just can’t help seeing faces in random data. We’re hard-wired to recognise human faces.

I would like them to study me, because I think I am hard wired to see many more things than human faces in clouds, and just everyday scenes.

I think I have some form of Pareidolia. I see more than human faces. But I really love it! This sickness helps me have fun with PhotoShop each morning. It lets my mind see things  the good old Pareidolia doctors probably never thought of.  For example:

Now you know what Pareidolia is – Pareidolia is a term for seeing patterns in random data.

Most people think you have to be mentally abnormal to see these types of images, I see nothing abnormal about it – but it can be dangerous.  While riding bikes, you can crash. We are studying the clouds and not watching where we are going. 

I added the following paragraph from the internet report by the Canadian research:

“But our findings suggest it’s common for people to see non-existent features because human brains are uniquely wired to recognise faces, so that even when there’s only a slight suggestion of facial features the brain automatically interprets it as a face.”

The research is in line with previous studies on the subject, and adds evidence to the theory that facial pareidolia emerged from an evolutionary need to recognize other friends – and foes – in a pinch. Doing so could have meant the difference between life and death tens of thousands of years ago, and modern humans seem to have just hung on to the skill.

Writing in his 1995 book The Demon-Haunted World, Carl Sagan theorized that “As soon as the infant can see, it recognizes faces, and we now know that this skill is hardwired in our brains. Those infants who a million years ago were unable to recognize a face smiled back less, were less likely to win the hearts of their parents, and less likely to prosper.”

 

GOOD BY – FOR NOW – Go look at clouds, trees, other people – what do you see? Oh my!

 

Every morning, when the wind is still, I sip my coffee, and study the lake behind my house, mesmerized by the houses and landscape reflected on the water. That caused  me to think of reflected photo art.

I read somewhere – “If you want to engage more thoughtfully with the world around you, consider reflective art.”

So, I tried a few reflective photo art images using PhotoShop. It did make me think about the world around me out there on the lake.

Hope I trigger some thoughts in your mind as you see the next reflection in your world.

 

My quote for the day: Now, reflect upon your next reflection!  Oh my.

 

1.  Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others. by Jonathan Swift
2. The sky “is but a canvas to our imagination.” by Henry David Thoreau
3. Art is not what you see, but what you help others see. by Edgar Degas
4. Look at the clouds, see things that are invisible, imagine beauty, and help others look up and smile.  by Jim Brubaker

 

Look up and practice your own artistic liberty.  You need not show it to anyone.  Just show it to your own mind and smile.

Oh my, that was fun.  I wonder what our minds will see next.

 

As, you know, I am trying to become a computer artist – with PhotoShop and Corel Painter. I play around a lot with eyes and facial expressions. I make tronies. Go ahead read on.

Do you know how many young boys with fire in their blue eyes look into the eyes of a young girl and say “Will you be my valentine?”

And maybe even attempt to sing the old song:

“Would you be my, honeybee ye ye..
sweet kisses all the time, be mine..
Be my…. Valentine…    Ohhhh Ohhhh Ohhhh, Be My….Valentine…!

And then get the reply:

“Noooo, Noooo, Nooooo”

I know it was not the eyes that were driving the young man but there are a lot of love songs about the eyes.

Anyway, at this point the young man had to attempt to sing the song: “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue.”   I know I said earlier the young man had blue eyes BUT it was blue eyed Crystal Gayle who had the hit song in the “70s: “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue” Despite the title, Crystal herself has blue eyes.

Do you know these facts?  The color of your eyes depends on how much of the pigment melanin you have in your iris—the colored part of your eyes. The more pigment you have, the darker your eyes will be.

Newborn babies have little melanin in their eyes, so they begin life with blue or almost colorless eyes. The melanin gradually increases, and by about three years of age, their eyes will have darkened to their true color.

Did you know that having brown eyes may make you appear more trustworthy?

On Valentine’s day – what do you think? Blue Eyed trust?

In the Czech Republic, university students were asked to look at photographs of 80 fellow students.  Results of the study revealed that people with brown eyes were perceived as significantly more trustworthy than those with blue eyes.

But it’s a little more complicated than that.  I did a lot of corporate research over the years and I know you have to be careful of conclusions.

Brown-eyed faces tended to have a rounder and broader chin, a broader mouth with upward-pointing corners, relatively bigger eyes, and eyebrows closer to each other.  Some or all of these could be the real factor driving your perception of trustworthiness.

Oh my – now go look in the mirror and tell me truthfully are you perceived to be trustworthy – of course you are and the eye color has nothing to do with it – It is because you are a good person.

As I practice painting I even like to study the impact of animal eyes.

As a young Corporate manage I had to take Dale Carnegie courses to understand how the eyes and  facial gestures help manage business situations – different ones when seeking trust, when leading others,  when pushing others,  when competing with others, and when intimidating others.

From the course I also learned,  by studying the eyes and facial expression of the young brown eyed maiden, just maybe, the Nooooo, Nooooo, Nooooo, was really Maybeeeeeeee, Maybeeeeeeee, Maybeeeeeeee.

The course was worth it!

Rembrandt, and other Dutch artists of his day,  made many Tronies – Small studies of eyes and the face. Here are some of my tronies:

My fist painting of this face

Scary

Green with envy

Fire in her eyes

I see dollars in the man! “Did you say his names was Stump?”

The apple of my eye.

Conflicted

Will not be caught and eaten

I am sleepy. –  Oops – there may be two tomorrows – The third one may be missing.

 

Oh my – The End

 

 

 

 

 

Did you know there are World Heritage  Sites – There are hundreds of them.  United States has 23 and France has 43. Did you know that many of these sites in France are preserving art that is 30,000 years old?

The Great Ceiling of Rouffignac, one of the world’s oldest and most beautiful art galleries,   is located in Southwest France.  Cro-Magnons, the first members of Homo sapiens, settled in Europe 45,000 years ago.  They most likely were the first artists. They worked on the walls and ceilings of the caves at Rouffignac and many others caves in Europe.

Let us, you and me, think about why they created art.  – Some say it was just doodling, some say it was done by folks high on weed, some say it was like a book  to record history, but most likely it was part of some form of clan ritual.  But, were the artists men or women?  How many artists painted in the caves?

Now that got me to researching a little more. In the caves of Dordogne, more than 60 images of mammoths, horses and ibex are depicted in simple, confident lines that show the artisthad startling talent.  Researchers determined there may have been 5 or more artists working together on a single cave wall. They speculated on that count by looking at how many art styles there were. Each artist had different views in their mind.

This cave art is declared a World Heritage Sites.  The Cro-Magnon’s were true artists.  They did not have an iPhone camera to record what they saw.  Nooooooo, Nooooooo, they created what was in their mind.   Whether they were driven by idle doodling, smoking a little pot, or depicting what the invisible Gods needed, they presented what was in their mind.  They remembered what they saw and then made it a little more startling by letting their mind create ART!   That is what I do with PhotoShop and Coreal Painter.

Let us, you and me, think about why I create art.   I take reality and let my mind create art as my mind sees it.  Noooo, Nooooo, I do not smoke a little pot.  I do not casually doodle.  I work hard at my art and I do not create images for the invisible Gods, I create art for you.

I really do create art for two reasons:

1. To take on the challenge offered by the computer’s software.  I been taking on that computer software challenge ever since I first met a computer in 1956.   The computer has not won yet!!!

2. To bring a smile to your face.  Some people really laugh when they view my art. I am not sure if they are laughing with me or at me. – In any case, they laugh and that makes me smile.  THANKS

So, those are the two reasons I do computer art and write these little stories.

Being an artist is fun even if you never put your art image on paper.   Just helping your mind create the art is a fun way to study and appreciate the sky, the moon, the snow, and anything else that is around you.  That is why I think there is art.

 

THE END