Life is Art is Life

I am thankful for a lot of things, but today it is Art. I have realized anew that it is everywhere. All around us. It penetrates all parts of our life. From the plastic food in my daughters room to the pine cones she enjoyed finding outside...from the brown bananas in my fridge to the crayons and markers in our playroom. Not to mention the books and movies on our shelves, the fine art prints on the walls, and the clothes on our backs. Somebody came up with that stuff and may we never take it for granted. Without the God-given creativity that I believe EVERYONE is gifted with, we would be blah. Blech. Boring. Do me a favor and take a moment to appreciate art today. To get you started, I've included an image by Chuck Close, an American artist of our time who became a quadriplegic and still painted with a paintbrush in his mouth. He has regained some control in his arms and hands and now paints with a paintbrush strapped to his hand. All I can really think as I type this is that he, too, was made in God's image. And with that comes a driving desire to live, to persevere, and to create.
Chuck Close
Big Self-Portrait, 1967-68.
Acrylic on canvas.
107 1/2 x 83 1/2"