More Than Meets the Eye
Silhouettes Can Hide A Lot
I've always loved to look at and paint silhouettes. I find them to be mysterious and alluring in a way that draws me in every time.
They're also a good study in form. Without a lot of color or detail to distract your attention, it forces you to focus on the shape of an object, which is often not at the forefront of your mind otherwise.
The basis of a silhouette is very simple. The background must to lighter than the foreground. That's the only rule, to be able see more in the distance than you can up close.
The degree of contrast will determine how dramatic, or not, the silhouette will look.
This is a beautiful concept in art and in life...to an extent.
However, it can be all too easy to slip into viewing people that way too - just seeing their form with no content.
Male, female, black, white, old, young and countless other "labels" based on form only.
But people are far more than just a silhouette.
They are each intricate, detail rich fellow human beings with stories to tell, quirks to appreciate (or not) and countless personality traits that more often than not, will mirror some of your own.
Although you can't possible get to know everyone, it can be very interesting when you make an effort to pay more attention to the people you come in contact with on a regular basis.
This could be your mail carrier, the cashier at the grocery store, or even that neighbor you see all the time but never speak to.
You'll find that when you focus more on the foreground and less in the distance, the details of people will be far more interesting than vague impressions based on form only.
Much like the trees painted in full color with immense detail will be exponentially more interesting than the plain black silhouette, so your life will be also when you see more detail in the ones around you.
So with COVID restrictions lifting, summer in full swing, and the 4th of July right around the corner, make an effort whenever you can to see more than silhouettes. Your life experience will be richer because of it and theirs will too.
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