The end of July seemed heavy going on the world news front so I am starting August with some artwork that expresses some deep thoughts.
Starting August With Deep Thoughts and Intentions in Artwork
Wisdom and Foolishness?
I quoted some deep thoughts from ‘The Tao of Pooh‘ on Facebook the other day. This was in relation to trying to catch a kitten that wouldn’t be caught. The quotation was: The wise know their limitations; the foolish do not.
A few days later I read a thread in an art discussion forum where someone used the quote often attributed to Abraham Lincoln:
Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.
But when do we stop to allow our thoughts to be still in order to determine if our words will be foolish or wise?
Our minds are a seething mass of mental activity and it is hard to see through the brain fog at our true mind. I expressed this idea in my piece ‘Seeing Through The Fog of Contemplation’.
What Difference Can Art Make?
Yes Words Are Powerful
Words are powerful things that are bandied about with abandon and without proper reflection. A knee jerk reaction can ruin a long friendship or set off a train of events that can have lasting consequences for all involved.
But Art Touches You Inside
A piece of art provides a moment of contemplation to consider it’s meaning, it is not always immediately clear. Art can also be foolish or wise of course (or even a mix of the two) but without words art speaks to a different part of our being. As I have written in previous blogs and articles, we view art with more than just our eyes.
Meditate on Peace
I created a peaceful image that I called ‘Meditate on Peace’. Faced with all the problems in the world, taking time to meditate on peace is not a bad use of time. That was the motivation behind this art piece. Just looking at the image brings a feeling of peace and calm.
When we meditate on peace we aim to develop peaceful and compassionate feelings within us and applying that to the people around us and the circumstances we meet. We are like a pebble dropped into a pond, if we approach life with a peaceful intention our good actions will ripple out and affect positively the people we meet. We can’t hope to change the world but if we have a positive affect on the people around us we can make a difference.
May Everyone Be Free From Misery
The third piece I want to feature in my blog was created to support a Buddhist prayer that Stevie Mouse and I used as our New Year message this year. I have called the image ‘May Everyone Be Free From Misery’.
The prayer goes:
May everyone be happy.
May everyone be free from misery.
May no one ever be separated from their happiness.
May everyone have equanimity,
free from hatred and attachment.
As you can see, even the simplest piece of art can contain deep thoughts and intentions.
Before you go
My name is Dorothy Berry-Lound an artist and writer. You can find out more about my art and writing at https://dorothyberryloundart.com.
You can follow me on Facebook.
Thank you for reading!
Very nice!
Thank you!
Interesting thoughts Dorothy. I know that I feel better able to communicate with pictures than with words. Sometimes it is difficult to turn off the verbal thoughts in our mind that tangle together. When working on art, one can sometimes find peace.
Words to make you pause, meditate and think. Well written illustrated with beautiful art.
Glad you liked it Roy
Yes words don’t always do our thoughts justice.