BIG question came up to me this week. First, please don't seek out my email. I already get a ton of emails a day, so odds are I won't get it. If I do, I probably won't respond because of how little time I have online. I did get a question about my newly updated bio in which I say I hate MySpace. The reason is simple: You have to use a predesigned template. I maintain this website myself, and for that I had to learn HTML. Trust me, HTML is easy!!!!! I a Tripod account (free level, which is why there's so much spam at the top). I could have chosen a number of others, but I liked Tripod best. I'll be looking to upgrade to a not-free-but-spam-free account early next year, so this site will be more accessible to you. I've looked at a number of MySpace profiles. In fact, I know two people on MySpace (see the links page). A number of advertisers now have MySpace sights. But I have yet to see an attractive MySpace profile. The problem is that so much information gets packed onto one page. Most of the important stuff is further down, while the irrelevant information is at the top. Even web designers would have trouble with this. Unfortunately, most MySpace builders know little, if anything, about web design or marketing and fill the page with screams about their favorites that are more likely to give anyone who hates that "favorite" an excuse to start an argument. Let's face it: MySpace is for anyone who doesn't have a clue about web design. Yes, this fits into talking about the arts. The word art is considered an abstract term by many because it's difficult to agree on the definition. After several years of reflection, I think it's a very concrete term. Art is something produced entirely from a single thought. A writer starts with a thought, then puts pen to paper. An artist starts with a single thought and puts brush to canvas. A sculptor starts with a single thought and puts chisel to marble. It's possible to start working, first, but without that first thought it's all aimless. I couldn't have done The Balance of Unbalance without an initial thought: The thought was simple: If it's such a bad idea to put the focal point in the center, how can I draw attention away from it? Answer: By using contrasting areas to pull the vision away. Essentially, contrast creates a focal point. These contrasting points create a path of vision to pull your eye around the piece. Many pieces begun without an initial thought turn into chaos. Most of my pieces are non-objective. I take normal, everyday objects and distort them, break them up, and discolor them so they are barely recognizable. The point is to not let them be recognizable so the observer sees what they want to see. Note: If this sounds like a Rorshach test, you're right. It's the same concept. That's why the so-called Religious Right gets so angry: they see something they're obsessed with and fulfill that obsession by focusing upon it. I did a poor job of explaining the focal point in the May 28 blog, so I'll go more into it next time.

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