A Million Marvelous Designs

A few weeks ago, while sitting at my desk supposedly diligently working, I had a sudden memory of a childhood toy: Kenner's Spirograph.  I was feeling so nostalgic that I decided to buy one of these classic kits off Ebay.  I now have my own 1986 Kenner Spirograph, the exact same version I had when I was little.

courtesy Amazon.com

I love the concept of the Spirograph.  A gear turning in a toothed ring is the basis for the creation of many awesome patterns.  The only downside to the Spirograph is the amount of control required to create a flawless design.  Countless times as a child, my designs were ruined because I moved the gear too quickly, causing it to skip a tooth or worse come untracked.  

So naturally, I was extremely excited to get drawing with my new kit and my relatively new adult dexterity.  I set up my ring, placed my gear and started drawing.

Okay, so I fucked up the first time...

And the second time...

But then I started to get the hang of it...

And it's still just as fun as I remember it.

Kenner's Spirograph represents my true definition of art.  It's not so much about representation.  It's purely about creating a visual aesthetic.  I value something as art because it appeals to me aesthetically.  The colors and lines align in some way that I find appealing.  That's it.  That's enough for me.  I don't need to sit in front of a painting and try to "find" the hidden meaning, the intention, the theme.  I guess that's why art history never made sense to me in school, despite the fact that I consider myself someone who appreciates art.  I'm an anti-art snob, or rather just a different kind of art snob.

Daily Monku:  No Mr. Man-Walking-In-Front-Of-Me-Talking-On-His-Cellphone "heighth" is not a word.  I know it may be hard to believe.  Other measurements end in "th" like "depth", "length", "width", but "heighth" is not one of them.  It really is just "height."  Sorry, I do not acknowledge the excuse that in earlier centuries (as late as the 19th century) "heighth" was an accepted form of the word.  That's like saying it's okay to call your gynecologist a "nimgimmer" since that was an accepted term for a doctor who treated VD in the 19th century.