Young at Art

Harley Brown's fascinating things no one else will tell you

- By Harley Brown, Illustrations by Harley Brown and Balinofski

Art can keep us joyfully, content each day even with real challenges. Challenges are motivating; they keep the brain cells charged and blood circulating. I got into art because from the start it was and is and will be life. What is life? I continue to find that out every day

Once I put the first few strokes onto paper, my inner feeling blossoms, and it stays even if I walk away from the easel after five minutes. Those strokes are reminders of an obsession, keeping our hearts and minds alive in the best ways. Age means nothing to me; my mind is half my age. (Knock on wood.)

Visions are continuations that feed into the brain. I might be observing passengers' expressions on an airplane or working out the foreground and background in a painting. You, dear reader, and I are different than most; visions are there for us to recreate on canvas and paper. Our eyes go to our subject and over to our developing art piece. As time progresses, the flow becomes more natural, keeping our thinking ready and moving. Many of my art friends are in their 90s and every one of them is continually inspired.

You and I, We Create

I received a lot of advice in my early years. In time, I begin to know what wisdom to keep and what to set aside; a natural give and take. We each have our uniqueness, keeping what works for us. I eventually came to a point when I had no doubt of my “artistic direction.” I can veer if I want to; nothing is engraved in stone. Let me put it this way: if I really wanted to spend my future days playing piano in a bar, I'd do it. Most important: my wants are creative.

Drawing What We See