art 101

i asked the lady who works in the monkdogz urban art gallery what moves a buyer to buy a piece of art? how does it work? i've always wanted to know. she explained in that lovely british lilt that always gets me, that people buy art for all kinds of reasons. and she encouraged me not to be afraid of the 'gallerinas,' it's all an act! when i expressed my fear for entering galleries, they seem so forbidding, except for some seemingly secret club that i can't even begin to talk about because i wouldn't know what i would be saying. 'rest assured, artists want their work to be looked upon.' i believe her.

encouraged and more courageous, h & i wandered down to the sundaram tagore gallery and there my heart was captured by the creations of sohan qadri, painter, poet and yogi born in india. i haven't just sat down to spill out words on this particular post. something has been brewing inside me for quite sometime now, as i have tried to connect my ignorance of how art works and my desire to understand. and maybe i have found something that may begin to address my ponderings. for me, like many things, it is a feeling. the work of this artist hits me in the heart. can't say it's a 'sweet thing,' but i can say it is a feeling. i feel something, something rich and daring which i need, especially in a time and place where it is easier to go through the motions and avoid what the heart has to share.

lots of luscious words have been shared in critique of this artist's work. robert thurman, buddhist scholar and father of miss uma, describes his dots and grooves & scratches as lustrous bubbles of energy, others have said the rich reds, silk blues and fire ball oranges engages one in a spiritual and aesthetic dialogue. i think what i like about this artist is much in tune with these sentiments, in the sense that the movement created within invites a questioning about being moved. i ask myself by what, how and why? being touched in way...