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I think people should shower alone as little as possible. My philosophy behind this statement is that showering, although a much needed task can sometimes be a waste of valuable time. Throw in another person and you have the mixings for getting two things done at once. Now get your minds out of gutters, I am talking about simple things, like discussing the bills, settling up old debts, carpooling, or just plain snuggle time if your relationship allows. If more of us showered together, think of the water we would be saving, the more water we save, the more water there is to grow plants in Africa to feed Sally Struthers, the more Sally eats the less we have to watch her on TV the less TV we watch, the less we know about global warming, and the less we know about global warming, the easier it is to ignore.
Not convinced? Then maybe you should get hot boyfriend or girlfriend for motivation.
What I do know for sure is that the movie “Psycho” forever changed the face of showering alone. The scene where Janet Leigh is stabbed to death in the shower of the Bates Motel has come to mind more than once as I step into shower...alone.
Think for just a moment if Janet had invited Norman to shower with her in the shower scene. While I think it would have been equally creepy, she more than likely would have survived. Perhaps if Janet had a shower partner, she could have used that person as a shield against Norman’s attacks. While the shower partner was being butchered Janet could have grabbed her stolen money, undies and headed for the door. Of course that would have changed the whole story line, but as I have said, partner showering can make huge changes in your life. This version offers a peek into what “Psycho” might be if Janet had decided not to spend her evening alone.
But this is not the place to change. The shower scene in “Psycho” is perhaps in my top five most scary horror movie scenes of all time. It is not because Norman is so menacing or Janet is innocent, and not because we have a shot of a well developed soon to be useless token boob, and certainly not because it holds the same level of gore that some of the movies we call horror today. It is so because we get so little from the scene and are left to imagine most of it in our minds, the sounds don’t help either. From the screams and shots of Janet’s mouth, to the waving hands, the knife, the running water, to the tearing of the shower curtain and the draining blood, we sit horrified by the miniscule amount of information given to us by the director. It is our imagination that makes us create the anguish the victim is feeling and the fear she must be experiencing before death. What really tops it off is that our imagination is ours, it is in our heads and we have to take it home with us, we have no way to leave it under the seat in the movie theatre. Undoubtedly, the winning factor in what makes that scene so scary is our own imagination. Our imagination gives us a peek into what Miss Leigh may have been experiencing while Norman slashed her to shreds.
In fact our imagination is the ruler of our emotions quite a bit. How often do you find yourself upset or concerned about something that you yourself created with your imagination? Chances are, there have been a few more times than you just admitted to. Imagination plays a big part in art as well. It is through imagination that an artist is able to create images that impact us and send our imaginations soaring.
While some people (un-bendable critics) turn their noses up to computer and digital designing, I find it to be an art form that allows the artist to move freely unencumbered with the obstruction and limitations that certain physical mediums offer. Because digital art, in the minds of many, is not conceived from a blank piece of paper, or a series of sketches, it is not seen as always having its roots in the creative imagination of the artist. However I disagree, many digital artists think their work out by hand on paper before ever touching the keypads and using the software controls to create the art. What needs to be remembered when viewing digital art is that this art form is bringing to life creations in a field that is modern. These artists are creating the history of the art form as they create.
I decided to take a peek around my city to find a digital artist whose imagination was unmistakable, and what I found was Laurie Thompson. Thompson is doing just that with her creations at Imagination Studios. Thompson’s digital images range from vivid and clean to unfinished and rough (a look that is not so easily created). While her style is unique, it is overshadowed by the fact that her subject matter is a nail in the coffin of critics claiming digital art does not use imagination. “Pray for Us” is offering the crispness of digital art, but still keeps a constant feel throughout the piece. What I mean is that sometimes, digital art can seem a little jostled or cut and paste when edges are not handled correctly. In this piece, the image is working from corner to corner with the top vocal point being the left hand window and the image of the blessed mother in the window balanced by the color of the sign below. The image is important because it shows that like all art, digital art must respect and can respect the same rules that govern all good art.
Other images that are impressive are “A Different Drummer” and “Dysfunctional Family”, these two creations offer the viewer several levels at which to look, all of which have the same weight and importance. In the first piece, we see the weight of the modeling figure holding down the bottom left hand of the image while the other images in a perfect line create another level at which to see. In short, it is the shape and the uniformity of one side of the image that gives the appreciation for the solid lower left section. As far imagination is concerned, the stern figures that are in a line are rigid, unchanging and all the same except for this first image that has few adornments associated with being different. The drum is being played by a modeling figure, which is designed to be ever changing. Its job is to be versatile and flexible, adjectives associated with “marching to a different beat” than the rest of the crowd. The same is true for the second image. Except we see this with the background. The grey background is solid and grounds the center of the piece. The center of the artwork is the part with the message. Notice the family members have all of their faces masked, except for the cat. The title is insinuating that we are see a family that is stricken with strife and none of them are willing to tell the truth to move towards a more functional existence.
Finally in the image “Dance on the Highway”, we have a flashback to the same balance as in the image “Pray for Us”, the difference is that in this piece, we get a peek into the sense of humor of the artist. We also see, you guessed it, her imagination. With the topless images moving about the piece and the structural support of background images, several messages came to mind while I was studying the image. This fact alone is spark to see that imagination is a huge part of this digital creation. The more interpretations that can be created from one piece, the more imagination from the artist we are receiving.
The truth is, some of us must shower alone, and we have no choice. What we do have a choice in is, just how many times we peek our head past the shower curtain and ask our empty house, “Is anyone there?”
