The Importance of Being Artist

It occurs to me that people who can draw well notice things that most people simply don't bother to become aware of. Like, do horses have eyes that are on the sides of their heads, or more in the front like people do? When I think of a horse with blinders on, it becomes apparent that it's most likely the former.

I remember when I was little I went to an art fair. I saw a pretty lady drawing a portrait of a little dog, some kind of terrier, from memory. I watched her, fascinated, and when she was almost finished she asked me, "What do you think? Does it have whiskers on it?" I honestly didn't know. "Well, I think he does!" she said, and with a flourish she went swoosh! swoosh! with her pen, and had what to me looked like a beautiful reproduction of a little terrier puppy.

How many people never notice things like that? Things like, how shadows fall, and how perspective works, or whether or not there are whiskers on puppies? Awareness is one of the keys to life. That's why artists are important.