To the Light
Three views of LA Light
Wilshire Facing North
Wilshire looking West
Celestial Gaze
Celestial Gaze
As many turn their gaze heavenward to see the proverbial firework displays inherent in the annual Fourth of July celebration, let’s turn our gaze to the myriad of ways decorative painting can celebrate the wonders of the heavens, celestial bodies and space…. and transform the environment we see everyday into magical spheres limited only by the imagination.
Moon, stars and planets on the “sky” of a child’s room know no limits.
And it flies too…in the realms of the imagination!
A black hole in celestial space has a function…
enjoyed by some favorite young “clients”…and budding artists.
Up close and personal…stars from the heart.
Planetary glories…
can provide an astronomical teaching moment.
Stars bend onto the ceiling,
and a sun surrounded by”mini-mes” shines down beneficently from an illuminated corner.
Even the light switch plate gets into the act, playing a starring role.
“When you wish upon a star….” is an inspiring message for a young girl.
In a bath with a star-studded ceiling, you can star gaze while you shower!
On a portable mural, view custom planes whiz through glazed skies.
Or watch a stork carry a newborn home right on your very own living room wall.
Stencils, custom designs, glazes, color, murals of all sorts, lettering, and so much more can transform your walls and furniture into celestial realms that celebrate the mystery and majesty of the heavens, and express your inner space in ways as limitless as the outer…and as boundless as the skies.
HAPPY (albeit belated) Fourth!
Pictogram II: Let There Be Light
Pictogram II: Let There Be Light
Leaving the familiar and entering the journey can take many forms.
Sometimes the journey offers us a miracle.
Leaving home in the cold dark, I entered the airport as the light was beginning to show itself.
Upon entering the temple of SFO, a great miracle happened.
A bright light appeared, and began to rise, getting bigger and brighter.
Burning its way through the darkness, there came the sun,
casting a brilliant reflection of its own light on the plane opposite.
It continued to rise like a prayer,
or voices raised in hymn of praise,
For the miracle of Life, Hope, Joy, Renewal, Moving Forward…or just, Moving!
GO!
Wishing You and Yours Peace and Blessings this Holy Day Season.
May You move forward into the uncharted adventure of your greatest Dreams, Hopes, Joys, and Loves.
The Embodiment of Color
The Embodiment of Color
When recently discussing Frank Mahnke‘s “schemata, the “Color Experience” Pyramid, I found myself sliding uncomfortably, yet seamlessly, from one “level” of the Pyramid to the other.
I say uncomfortably, because I felt that some of the levels were so interconnected, as to be nearly inter-changeable. The Pyramid describes six levels upon which we experience the phenomenon of color. I decided to take a closer look at each, starting with its base: “biological reactions to a color stimulus“, IE: our own biology.
Our sensations are generated, and thus emanate, from our senses, our five senses, to be exact, which are experienced through our own bodies. You might say it’s a physical thing. We must then, embody color, just as we experience it. If color is light is energy, I reasoned, in a sense, in a very real sense, we must be made of it. If we are made of energy, made of light, we must be made of color. Are we then walking, talking rainbows? Flowers? Sunsets?
We cannot control our biological reactions to color, as they show, in the words of English psychologist Nicholas Humphry, “….traces of our evolutionary heritage.” From the green pigment of chlorophyll and its role in the necessary process of photosynthesis, to the huge red pouches developed by the male frigate bird during mating season, in nature, and thus in ourselves, color is and always has been a signal between life forms and species that is crucial to our survival. Camouflage, protection, sustenance, warning, sexuality, fertility, all of these and more are signified and communicated through color, which underneath it all still seem to be running us today, both psychologically and biologically.
A neural pathway, aptly called the “energetic portion” of the optic pathway transports light and color stimulation to the master glands which control the production and release of hormones. Whoa! Talk about the Mother lode! We see that color affects our biology, and biological activity, whether we wish it, will it, want it, or not. Blue light, for example, has been used to cure infant jaundice.
Humans have “total color vision“, meaning that we need the total color spectrum for our biological and psychological survival.
Color has always been a significant factor in our evolution and survival as humans, teaching us what is safe and nutritious to eat, how to interpret and adapt to our natural environment, and how to understand and respond to the changing seasons, as our earth rotates around the sun.
Here we come full circle, a full rotation if you will. Light is color, and from the energy of light we see, sense, and take what is needed for our survival, preservation and protection as a species. On this most basic level, the level of our biology, our response to color has nothing to do with what we might term as preference. Our perception of the light-giving radiant energy of the sun, which is color, is fundamentally linked to our survival, and thus deeper than any conscious experience, control, effort or emotion could dictate.
Are YOU conscious of experiencing color on a biological level?? How does color support YOUR survival?
If you are so moved, please share your experience with us here. We love to hear from You.
Remember, we are all experiencing this colorFULL thing called Life, together.
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Artissima - Blog of ArtiFactory Studio 
