It's the missing part of Mount St. Helens that tells the story. -- Photo by Pat Bean
“Accuracy of observation is the equivalent of accuracy of thinking.” Wallace Stevens
Travels With Maggie
To artists, negative space is the blankness that exists around painted objects. Such space can sometimes be the most interesting thing on a canvas. Consider Rubin’s painting of a vase that when taken away creates the image of two facing profiles.
The professor in a drawing class I once took emphasized the importance of this empty space by having us draw it instead of the solid form before us.
I’ve learned since then that missing elements can tell us as much about what we’re seeing as what’s before us.
It's the negative space that's the more important image of Rubin's vase. -- Photo courtesy Wikipedia
How can one look up at the crater on Mount St. Helen’s without understanding that part of the mountain is missing? Such a conclusion can conjure up the image of a volcano erupting and remind us of how fragile life is.
When I’m out walking and the chattering of birdsong is stilled, I know to look to the sky. There just might be a hawk flying overhead.
Hollow footprints let me know who or what has trodden a path before me.
A branch with missing leaves might tell me a moose munched as it passed by.
A New York city street where no one walks warns me I might not want to walk there either.
The missing elements of a scene remind me of a saying among communicators, like journalists: Just because you heard what I said doesn’t mean you heard what I said.
So it is that just because you’re looking at a beautiful landscape doesn’t mean the painting is complete. Look again to find what’s missing. The story before you might change
Pat Bean's blog 
Was thinking about art and travel this morning as well and was grooving along with your post until I got to the New York part and I stopped.
Depends where in NY the street is, what time of night, etc. I’m assuming night. A lot of the usual sketchy streets and areas have been cleaned up and/or gentrified. I love to walk the streets in my neighborhood at night even if there’s no one else there. Best time to walk midtown, considering how crowded it can be during rush hour, for example.
Love the post, as always, Pat. A lighter example is Elizabeth Peters, who has a way of skipping bits of narration but letting you know what she skipped by characters’ reactions. Hard to explain, but she does it beautifully. 🙂
I love Peters’ Amelia Peabody books … fun, if not believable reading. Did you know she also writes as Barbara Michaels?
Keep writing … Pat Bean https://patbean.wordpress.com
Yes, I do know! I scored a bunch of Barbara Michaels mysteries at the library book sale the other week. I thought I’d read just about everything of hers, but these are all new to me. Happy!
Oh, and I just passed the Stylish Blogger Award on to you. You’re to tell your readers seven things about yourself and pass the award on to others.
Interesting perspective. I’ll have to give that a try while out on my walks today.
this made me think, Pat, of a time two summers ago — and I might blog this allduing to your blog if I may — no, I will blog this; but may I allude to this particular blog?
I would be extremely flattered if you aluded to my blog. Thanks for the kind words.
Keep writing … Pat Bean https://patbean.wordpress.com