this etch is about the story, not the output... but if the story lifts your spirit perhaps we will create some art together...

i have an innate appreciation for art -- been collecting art/antiques since the age of 12 or so

one thing i could never quite understand is when someone said a piece of abstract art "moved" them or made them emotional in some capacity. i always felt like they were full of it or simply trying to sound sophisticated

i could understand the beauty. i could understand the fascination. i could understand the complexity and curiosity. but for someone to say they were moved to the point of getting emotional always made me question their sincerity

when i saw Apparitions by Aaron Penne for the first time i was immediately fascinated. the outputs felt so familiar yet unlike anything i've ever seen before. very pleasing to my eye

unable to afford one at the time i would casually scroll thru the collection to briefly admire their beauty, but resisted going much deeper. i didn't enjoy merely window shopping... but a couple months later i found myself in the fortunate position of being able to purchase my first. i was so excited. so ready to finally dig in and better understand this collection

and dig in i did! page 1, output #0 -- let's go!

and there i was... going down the rabbit hole. scrolling thru the pages and outputs. marking various pieces. opening new tabs. better understanding the qualities i liked most. checking the marketplace. going back down the rabbit hole. scrolling some more. then...

then it happened...

i came across Apparitions #1475

i was instantly shook to the core. i was literally stopped in my tracks, jaw dropped with no words. i couldn't believe my eyes. just sitting in pure wonderment

mesmerized...

then something strange started happening.... with my hand on my chest i found myself overcome by this feeling, this feeling was packed with emotion. my breathing got heavy and my eyes swelled up. this emotion i've felt before but why now, why am i feeling this way right now, how did this spark?!

after a lifetime of appreciating art it came within a flash of a moment. suddenly, thoughts and ideas about art and its meaning became clear. so many things i questioned began to make sense. and it was within that moment i realized...

i was moved by the art. i had this deeply emotional experience from the art itself. this art filled my eyes with tears of joy -- the art

Apparitions #1475, sometimes better known as Mt. Fuji, changed my life and how i perceive art, forevermore