A Question of Bloggin'

It seems everyone is doing it and there is the question. WHY? Why would anyone write stuff which can be read by ANYone around the world? Why would anyone read this stuff which comes off the keyboard like so much stream of consciousness writing? It seems the answer to 'why?' is as individual as both the writer and the reader and web-logs (blogs) are filling cyberspace with random thoughts . . . daily records . . . real communication . . . and even good business.


I read a few daily blogs. For me, they are like this row of trees at Puivert in France. Each day they are part of a whole: some have real texture to them, some are missing, some are skinny little things. On the lake's surface, their mirror image doubles their impact except where the water is disturbed. Like the trees and the lake, some mornings, the message is quite clear; other times, it falls on a ruffled surface (fuzzy brain.) But, along with my morning paper, each has a place in my day. There are many reasons why!

I am currently reading (and occasionally commenting on) these and a few other art blogs:
*Nita http://nitaleland.blogspot.com/ frequently talks about teaching and has recently reviewed a list of new watercolor books. I trust her knowledge and her reviews.
*Karen http://kajac2000.blogspot.com/ writes about process, where she's been and where she's going with her work.
*Robin http://artgirls.blogspot.com/
-----and *Martha http://artistsjournal.blogspot.com/ write about creative influences and business decisions which affect their work.
*Joyce http://hermitthrushstudio.blogspot.com/ posts a daily painting which she creates from her bicycle studio.
*Shelly http://cat-sidh.net/blog/ adds a whole new set of topics to my day and has taught me more than I ever thought I wanted to know about observing clouds (which made me know I had seen something special even though I didn't know what and that it was a once-in-a-lifetime sighting.)
*Robert's Letters http://www.painterskeys.com/ often hit the mark. Last week, his descriptions of clouds truly made paintings in my head.