Getting lost in Art

During class we get the unique opportunity to look into how art is formed through the use of various techniques by different artists. Each seems to strike me a little differently and this particular artist, Vija Celmins, struck me in odd sort of way. Celmins spends a large portion of her time in her studio creating very intricate works such as her space paintings or her paintings of the local harbor. The finished product makes the viewer have to look at it twice to see if the painting is a photo or an actual painting because the detail is so extraordinary. All her works she claims she has to build in order to get a good texture to start her painting. Often times she uses sand paper to give the work a more real appeal to it. All this preparation and tedious work brings out an amazing result that really draws the viewer's attention. The thing that drew me to these pieces was the result of moving your head closer to the painting. I felt as though i was moving closer to the picture and that i was moving among space. This was a feeling that caught me by surprise because if you look at the work from a far distance the meaning behind it does not jump out at you as much. This is a unique way of creating art because I feel that the more this artist focuses on the smaller detail the more meaning it can have to a person like myself.