| Your hand concentrates for you. I don’t know why it should be so. ~ Rebecca West |
I was recently reading about our Reticular Activating System (RAS). Apparently this network of neurons and neural fibers in our brain stem does a lot of rather important things – regulating our sleep/waking, breathing, heart beats, eating, walking… It also helps us focus. One example I ran across was hearing your name mentioned in a conversation across the room in a group of people who are all talking. The RAS has been trained to think your name is important so it helps make sure that you notice it. Another example was shopping for a car. Perhaps you decide that a Toyota Sienna is right for your next vehicle. All of a sudden, you’ll notice that the roads seem full of them, as your RAS will begin to draw your attention to each one.
This week’s artist is – Mary Beth Jarrosak – whose work I ran across at the Autumn Arts Festival this weekend. Unfortunately, though I was taken by her photos I didn’t get to chat with Mary in person (what with entertaining company and all) but next time I will be sure to do so! See more of her work on her website or instagram.
- I am behind in my portrait painting! Alas, I haven’t painted either Ryan or Lauren, who both work in the frame shop a couple days each week. You’ll just have to come by and meet them in person, I suppose. 😉
- There is a full week of classes at the Scrapbook Nook. Join the gals tomorrow at 1 to make a pocket-filled album. Then on Saturday at 10 you can make three more months of a wall calendar!
- Did you go check out the Autumn Arts Festival this past weekend? I certainly enjoyed checking out all of the amazing work! Thank you to the Durango Arts Center for hosting such a great get-together!
- You have to develop intelligence in your fingers!
- The last Animas City Night Bazaar of the season is tonight from 5-8pm! From cookies to ceramics, there will be quite a bit to check out. Swing by 3057 Main Avenue in the parking lot behind A Smile by Design to enjoy music, dancing, games food, booze, artisans and more.
- Interested in painting? No matter where you are in your artistic journey, here is a video full of advice for you. Just starting out? Color mixing for beginners. Have some experience and ready to finish a painting? How to varnish an oil painting. Feeling confident enough to sell your work? How one artist rolls and ships large canvas.
- Sometimes you just need to stop and smell the flowers, no matter who you are.
- Which makes me reflect on the beauty of the ordinary.
- I just found out that Dennis the Menace has a British doppelganger!
- The Fruit Glean Happy Hour is Thursday evening from 5-7. The fruit trees in our town are ripe and ready, but they need hands to harvest! The Good Food Collective works to eliminate food waste, end hunger, and reduce bear-human conflict by collecting otherwise wasted backyard produce. Find a list of available fruit trees for DIY harvest, or by volunteering outside the Smiley building.
- Head to A Shared Blanket on Friday from 5-7 to meet Norman Lansing, a Mountain Ute artist. Meet the artist behind his exquisitely etched pottery with scenes depicting his spiritual visions.
- Saturday we’ll be participating in the Fabulous Fall Red Balloon Event from 11-3:30. More than $3,000 in prizes will be given away as part of the event. In the Art Supply House we’ll have a scavenger hunt, an art demo at 11:30, a local artist’s work on display, and will be giving out mini sketchbooks to everyone who spends $25 or more (while supplies last).
- Our next art contest is live. We’ve been pretty painting-focused for the rest of the year so this go-round we’re switching it up. If you’re going to participate in Inktober, perhaps you’ll submit one of those pieces for our Draw Something contest. Check out the contest page on our website.
- This week’s featured product are the variety of art books we keep available! From coloring books to how-to, we try to have a range on hand. General watercolor for beginners to specific drawing advice and everything in-between. Come see what we have!
Let’s re-focus for a moment. That’s what your Reticular Activating System is good at – filtering out all of the stimuli around you and only showing you the important parts. Fortunately, you get to help train your RAS about what you think is important. For this week’s artist, I suspect Mary Beth is better at spotting animals in their natural habitat than we are – because she’s practiced and let her RAS know they’re important. One guy I know can spot a berry bush from 100 yards away because he loves fresh berries. I notice every motorcycle that goes by, because I think they’re fun and worth watching. What do you focus on? It’s never too late to point your RAS in a new direction.
Cheers!
Matthew & the Art Supply House crew
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