Saturday, July 9, 2011

Art In The Parking Lot

Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but art is everywhere if you have the ability to see it. I stood outside of our local grocery store yesterday while waiting for my wife to come out with our regular allotment of bounty. There was nothing to do but play with my Iphone. So I started to gaze out across the parking lot. Nothing prepared me for what I saw. No, this was not a people watching session, as I so often enjoy. Instead I noticed the grass, the trees, the pine straw in all there commercially landscaped glory. Today was different, because I saw that the trees were not all the same but three different kinds of trees. There was grass but it was grass that complimented without taking over. Someone had taken the time to match textures, shapes and colors in a way that was warm, inviting and pleasing to the eye and the heart. About 15 minutes passed with me pondering the profundity of pines, placement and pansies.

Everything fit together, yet individual beauty was not diminished. Nothing moved, no sound was uttered, no neon lights it just was. My mind wanted to give voice to the big box retail motivation of “come, spend your money… ain’t we awesome”. But my heart silenced the cynicism with a calming awareness of a planner and desire to draw out the “unspoilable” – art. Where did this guy or gal learn how to do this? Better yet, from where was the technique copied?

The heavens declare the glory of God, and nature gives evidence of God…these are personal truths to me. More significant was the impression received during minutes 16-18. “Hey son, glad you like my stuff. I’ve got acres of it, but I only made one of you. Go inside where it’s cooler…A/C is nice too. Talk to you later”!