Dissing the artist's eye!

Of all the photos I took at the Scott Kelby's Annual International Photowalk the other Saturday, my favorite is this shot of a plastic chair in a doorway.


I like the simplicity of the composition, the lines and angles in the photo, the bold complementary colors, and the neutral black and tan which seem to push the red and green even further up the color chart. It all comes together like a freshly blended Christmas dessert.

So when a friend showed me some cute, contrived pictures on one of those send-around email slide shows, I clicked on Texas Woman to show him MY photos.

"But you just went around taking pictures of things you saw," he misspoke, dismissing the artistic eye needed to spot beauty in everyday things.

I wanted to respond with "Like golf is just you hitting a small ball into some little man-made hole." But of course I didn't say anything. I work for him Wednesday afternoons and want to keep doing so until our project is finished.

But it all reminded me of a story I heard many years ago at a mall art show. An oil painter strolling through the artist stalls stopped at a photographers booth to admire his pictures. "I love your photos," the artist said. "You must have a great camera."

Like me, the photographer said nothing. Later, as he roamed through the mall, he stopped at the same artist's stall and said, "I love your paintings. You must have some great brushes."

Ta-ta-da boom!