Filling in the Gaps

“I close my eyes in order to see”

~ Paul Gauguin 

A piece from Mother Natur:
Face of the Sea by Alice Chen

I found this quote written on a magnet being sold in one of the Gallery of Art’s souvenir stores while in Washington DC last week. Seeing as we were in DC for the opening reception of an art exhibit dedicated to artists with disabilities, I thought it was ironically fitting. Both my twin and I like to do art, and people often ask us where the things we draw come from. And the answer is almost always from inside our own heads.

Not, I suppose, that that should come as that
much of a surprise all considered. Where, after all, can a person go to see a real dragon? Or a ship made of bookshelves with a giant scroll for a sail?

It’s kind of interesting how many visual references there are in our language. “See you tomorrow” is one way of saying goodbye. Being “blindsided” can mean that we were taken by surprise. To “watch out” is to be careful, we “look something up” when we want answers—and “I see” means that I understand.

Seeing really isn’t just about using your eyes, and just because we use our eyes doesn’t mean we see. It reminds me of that whole idea of seeing being believing, and yet it’s also true that sometimes, we see things precisely because we believe they’re there. It can serve as the foundations of both prejudice and faith.

Perhaps that’s why sometimes, in order to see things clearly (or at all), we have to sit back, close our eyes, and think about it.

Congratulations, Alice, on being one of the fifteen finalists for the VSA Sustaining/Creating art competition!