Artic Snow

With an omnipresence of artificial light, especially remaining in one location, how might young students be expected to understand the huge differences which occur in natural daylight, experienced in different parts of the world.   How should we prepare them, to be surprised with the possibility of something completely different; such as the many colours to be found in Arctic snow, or on a human landscape of palpable skin.

        It was apparent to me, that we " construct " what we actually see, and the way that we see, was dependent amongst other things, upon our physiological, psychological and cultural inheritance.   I have come to believe, that artists through the ages had striven to be honest as far as possible, using the colours available to them.   While building upon a body of experience born of tradition, each in turn had to learn the craft, and by experiment, use available technology, to repeatedly push the boundaries beyond the comfortable, into a world of the observable, and conceptual unknown.   In fact, it is my experience, that the best work comes from a lifetime of solid observation.   Whilst I might understand the American, James Abbot McNeil Whistler's point of view  (footnote 3.) , against the eminent critic, John Ruskin's unfortunately published comments in 1877, finally argued in a Court of law; a " lifetime‘s experience " however, should rarely take the place of a new observation, honestly noted in one's work, and a willingness to be challenged and pleasantly surprised.