Frequently Asked Questions 6
6. The tutor talked about bringing observation and imagination together. How is this done?
Observation and imagination are linked without us even
thinking about it yet we categorise them as being separate.
When artists draw they don't really copy what they are looking at, they
represent it by combining personal vision and the material qualities of
their chosen medium to reconstruct rather than replicate what is seen.
Have you ever thought that you have recognised a friend of yours from
some distance only to find on closer inspection that they only have a
resemblance to your friend?
That is your imagination and observation working together.
When we look at the world around us we can't see anything objectively,
what we observe and how we respond is conditioned by what we might think
or feel at that time.
When we imagine something our thoughts are always linked to reality (if
you dream up something unrelated to reality that's fantasy and not imagination.)
