The time has come the Walrus said, “To speak of many things,” and now it is time again for me to talk about “What is Art?” Art is a large part of our everyday lives so much so we hardly even stop to think about it. Look at where you are sitting now or your shoes and the cup of coffee you are drinking out of.
Someone designed those items. All functional design, well done, is art. So we could say, “Art is something that is both functional and (hopefully) aesthetically pleasing to our eyes.” We could also say, “Art is subjective and means something different to every single person on earth.” Yes, this is possible, but basically art is “Form and Content,” which makes it necessary to know how to explain form and content. Form means the elements of art or the actual physical materials the artist has used. Content means what the artist meant to portray or actually did portray and how we react. Plan to attend another “60 Minutes with an Artist,” to be held on Sunday, August 23, 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Valencia Library Community Room with guest artist Leland Thomas discussing what he likes to portray – photography.
Leland is a photographer, writer, film and video editor, senior professor at Columbia College Hollywood, poet, father, and grandfather. He has worked in the film industry for over 40 years and served as blue ribbon panelist for the selection of local Emmy competitions. Clients he has done video productions for include Starkist foods Inc., British Airways, Heinz Inc. and Avocado Commission.
For more information, contact the Santa Clarita Artist Association. For more information contact Jaylene Armstrong, retired art educator from Madison Wisconsin, at 661-255-3050.