Sunday, April 29, 2012

Seeing Things Differently

"Over the Sea 21" - Randall David Tipton   used by permission

overlay, old man outline, by M. Miller

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Seeing Things Differently

Not long ago, professional artist Randall David Tipton posted a painting on his website titled, “Over the Sea 21”.  The cotton candy pink cloud looks scrumptious.  But beyond that, a tiny, shiny white spot within the cloud reminded me of a star shining through the cloud.  My attention was captured.  Suddenly, the white dot became an eye, and hmmm, there was a thin “eyebrow” (in slight change of color) above that.  And then, of course, the nose was unmistakable to me. 

And there, the whimsical face/head of an old man----.

(I’ve outlined him that you might better share my view.) 

I like to think of him as the “essence” of the cloud, or a cloud-spirit (or sprite?) of some sort.  As children, we looked to find images in clouds.  Well, here was one not only discovered, but in my mind, seeing a further image in a pink cloud added to my enjoyment of the painting.

I asked Tipton if he meant to put a man in the cloud.  “No no old men placed in my clouds or anything else,“ he replied.

But you know how it is with an optical illusion?  You don’t see it, and then you do!  After seeing that illusion, I can’t “not” see it – though Tipton didn’t place it there intentionally.

Just as sharing our different perceptions about lovely paintings can open up new pleasures to many, so also may collaborative insight add to our ability to solve problems, tackle work that needs doing, or cope with new patterns that show up in our lives or in the wider society.

Aren’t we lucky that artists’ imaginations see things differently?  And that people with differing visions may enhance their (or our) fruitfulness or understanding?  In such a case, artworks – or life -- can be true serendipities.

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artist's website    http://randalldavidtipton.blogspot.com


This post is shared with L. L. Barkat and Laura Boggess.  

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6 comments:

  1. When God sent people away from the tower of babel and changed their languages. I always thought He probably changed how they heard language, too. God is so multi-dimensional. He is so detail oriented that I don't doubt He allowed us all to see so many things differently, too - and that all things have the ability to be read differently. You've given me much to think on!

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  2. You're right, now I can't see the cloud in any way other than an old man! :) And you're also right that we need each other to open our eyes to so many great things God wants us to learn. Thanks for your thoughts--opening my eyes as well!

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  3. I very much enjoy collaborative insights; thanks for sharing yours!

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  4. Truly delightful...thank you for sharing your "vision" of Tipton's painting...made me smile :)

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  5. I love to see the differences in different people's "wirings" work together, building a so-much richer experience, deeper understanding, or more creative outcome!

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  6. I love his work! I was introduced to it when Maureen Doallas used one of his paintings on the cover of her poetry book. This is brilliant. I so love playing the cloud game in real life...never thought of doing it with paintings :).

    Thank you for all your kind words, M.M. You bless me tremendously.

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I would rejoice greatly to receive a comment from you, thanks.