Quoting creativity

I thought I might have a theme of posts set around the wonderous words of others. We'll start with a short but dramatic statement by Tolstoy (short on name too!)

"Art is infection"

Pretty powerful words there my friends, but what pray does it mean? Should it in fact say 'affliction' as Art does seem to torture the souls of many who pursue its fickle fancy.

Infection it is though and to me this means catching something from the written word or splash of paint on canvas. (Personally, I take the word 'art' to mean any form of creativity.) You walk away with a change to your soul; a little part of you will never be the same again. Think to when you closed the final pages on a life-changing novel - perhaps it was the joy of knowing 'she married him' or that Peter Rabbit escaped the clutches of Mr MacGregor. Or maybe, like me, you stood in front of the Canalettos at the National Gallery utterly mesmerised, imprinting every brush stroke onto your mind's eye to bring out for sustenance and inspiration whenever necessary. It doesn't even have to be the work of a great master. I was drawn to a painting recently under £100 which just winked at me and said "you know we're meant to be together" and sure enough my soul cells were transformed and the longing became owning. She hangs on my lounge wall now. In fact, if I turn my neck to the left I catch a glimpse of her dainty fairy pose.

Similarly I am always drawn to visiting blogs like A Fanciful Twist - in fact, I would go so far as to say there is something rather infectious about her posts and parties. And just how do you get that glittery effect onto your imagery? Do check out the Halloween adventure coming up - see sidebar.

What art has infected you dear readers? Do dispense with the tissues and share your contagion!