Painting the Mindscape

This blog is intended primarily for artists, but lovers of art may find it interesting, too. Its aim is to give artists ideas about how to create art with meaning, as well as feeling.

We all live an inner life of thought. This is what makes us human. This is what makes each of us unique. Our thoughts are comprised of our beliefs, opinions, reactions, fears, aspirations, and ideas. This mental structure may be referred to as the mindscape, which the Medical Dictionary defines as “a mental or psychological scene or area of the imagination.”

The Intellectual Side of Art
Many legendary artists have explored the life of the mind. French painter Marcel Duchamp, for example, saw art as an intellectual activity, not merely something confined to senses and feelings. The more skilled you are at your medium, the more able you are to communicate your concept. So training, study, practice and more practice are essential.

The Artist’s Toolkit
Artists have certain tools at their disposal, including color, composition, value, texture, shapes, perspective, contour and symbolism. There are many fine books focusing on each of these important subjects. This blog touches on them, but expressing the artist’s view of the World is its primary focus. Symbols have a long history in this quest. I will cover symbolism in forthcoming posts and, in due course, provide a number of works of art as examples.

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