Sandy Abbott

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I am amazed how beautiful the world can be. Looking at a beach on a sunny day can leave me speechless, overcome with the beauty of the colours, shapes, textures and the crackling feeling of "Life" permeating the environment.   The beaches around Australia, or anywhere in the world, are wonderful for observing this.

There is no "Life" in the sand, water or sky.  The life I feel when I am looking at the ocean, is what I project  there myself.  The experience of life and beauty is always a matter of my own awareness, not something in the landscape. 
(To test this, just go to the beach when you are in a bad mood and notice how little beauty you can see.)

Therefore, what I think is happening when we view a great painting, is that it allows us to glimpse the beauty of our own Infinite Awareness.  

 The fine artist is able, with his terrific skill, to wondrously reveal to the viewer just a tiny glimpse of this infinite inner awareness.  In other words, fine art causes us to become more aware of our inner self.  The better the art, the more this happens.  This is why great art is cherished above all else.  

This is a huge responsibility for artists and they can never stop improving and expanding their skills in order to perfect this most important ability.  

What I love about the beach is not only it's beauty, but it is also symbolic of standing at the threshold of the great mystery of life.  As Paul Gauguin said, We don't know where we come from, why we are here or where we are going next.  This is a mystery that is so big most humans don't even try to confront it.  But I have always wondered about these things and when I stand on the shore of the great ocean it reminds me of standing on the shore of the greatest mystery.  

I hope my paintings evoke this feeling in you and reveal to you at least a glimpse of your own Inner Awareness.  I will consider myself an artist if I succeed in doing that for you. 

Sandy Abbott
Melbourne, Australia 2009

I was given a Sandy Abbott seascape for my birthday recently, it now hangs in my home with pride.  Every time I gaze at this painting I am moved to another place that is warm, sunny, tranquil and not so far away.  I love my painting.           

Glenda Walsh ~ Jazz Singer   www.glendawalsh.com