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Art has been a part of my life since I was a child. I remember those teachers in school that tried to instill in us students the fun of art. Well, it stuck. All those projects, pictures, and talks built a love of art in me that can't be taken away. My childhood teachers constructed a foundation of art projects and ideas. It hasn't crumbled. It has remained. I have continued to build on that foundation. I can say art is a part of my life. It's not art this and life that. It is interwoven into my life.

One thing about art is to appreciate it. As I walk down hospital halls, or other public places like restaurants, offices, homes, and even restrooms, I take time to really look at the artwork. If there is a caption I read it. I look for the artist's signature and date if there is one. I look closely at the value of color and line. Usually if my children are close by, I comment of the piece and its size. We take a guess at how many hours have gone into making it. We talk about how it may have started...it's composition. This is an enjoyable activity with our family. We are seeing art in life.

Art truly is something to contemplate. Looking at what others have accomplished makes me want to personally keep studying art. I like to delve into a new project and learn a new technique as I go. New books about art are very helpful for this. I read and study as a project is worked on. Sometimes a great artist like Cezanne, Degas, Matisse, or Monet is studied. It is there I find nourishment for the artist in me. These artists are not for me to imitate, but to learn from. Imitating can squash my creativity. Life goes on day after day, and what we do with it does count. Putting Art into these days makes the fast pace of life slow down.

The best thing that Art has done for me is that it resonates who I am and how I feel. Finishing a piece of artwork gives me such a sense of accomplishment that it boosts my outlook on life. When I am finished with a piece I can say, "Look world, this is who I am. I hope you enjoy it."

I have had an enjoyable past time lately of enjoying and contemplating the complexity of
the world all around. Something as simple as letting my big orange fluffy cat sleep in my lap. I see how God created him. I marvel at the differences in color and hair...even on the silly cat. To me, I see God as the greatest artist of all, and when I look around at things in life I smile and say, "Wow!"

For me it is not art vs life, but art in life. I cannot tear the two apart.

Learn more about this author, Mary Beth.
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