My biggest art appreciation has always been of abstract style. It's the least natural for me to pursue, as my tendency is to pick at oil paintings over the course of months. My long past classmates were impressed with the realism, but I was unsatisfied. The looseness of abstract work maintains possibilities for my mind to wander and wonder, whereas realism always seemed more simplistic to me- what you get is what you see, and where is the dreamy sensation of fantasy in that? For the past few years I've been beginning from abstract and trying to limit the amount I pick at something from there, moving slowly closer to personal satisfaction.

With art as with everything, I believe aesthetic is one part what you are naturally given to work with and one part what you aspire to. Where dreams meet reality, we create beauty, and have the opportunity to practice beauty as a virtue.