Appetite for Creation Part 10: Just Flaws

        "An ancient tenet in Chinese painting holds that the Master paints not the created thing, but the forces that created it."
        - Art and Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking 

    One great thing about making art is how the results never lie to the creator - by evaluating the techniques, ideas and materials of a finished piece, success and/or failure is transparently evident for the viewer to perceive. Being one's own worst critic can be a tricky strategy: since no piece of art or body of work can ever be perfect, this reality can cause the artist to either abandon such futile pursuits or lose sight what "perfection" may actually be.

        "Ansel Adams, never one to mistake precision for perfection, often recalled the old adage that 'perfection is the enemy of the good', his point being that if he waited for everything in the scene to be exactly right, he'd probably never make a photograph."
        - Art and Fear

    While many elements are far beyond the control of the artist, it is the familiarity of techniques, knowledge of materials and detail of ideas that one must bring to bear with as much certainty as possible in order to best capture the time, place and mindset when a piece of art achieves not perfection, but authenticity and truth.

03-10-12: Skywalk in Rego Park, NY (click to enlarge)

03-10-12: Skywalk in Rego Park, NY (click to enlarge)

03-11-12: Parking Lot Lamp in Flushing, NY (click to enlarge)

03-11-12: Windmill in Flushing, NY (click to enlarge)

03-11-12: Windmill in Flushing, NY (click to enlarge)

03-11-12: Windmill in Flushing, NY (click to enlarge)

    Doing the best we can with what we have should be no less than the world comes to expect from artists of every stripe.

    Note: The above images are taken directly from a Samsung SCH-u540 camera/phone with no processing or manipulation.