[November 24, 2024] One of the benefits of a trained eye for art is when I find something notable, there is an obligation to call attention to it. DM Sculptures is run by a true artist with a good eye for beauty and, most importantly, the artistic talent to put that inspiration into physical form. One of my favorite pieces is a sculptured whale made from wood and epoxy.
Two years ago, I attempted to answer a question I think is important; “What is beauty?” Art is one form of beauty and for our mental growth and learning about it is a proper path we can follow. I wrote the following in an attempt to answer that question:
“Fyodor Dostoevsky wrote in his book, The Idiot (1868-69), “Beauty will save the world.” To emphasize the importance of that point, the famous Alexandre Solzhenitsyn quotes Dostoevsky in his 1970 Nobel Prize acceptance speech. What they meant, I believe, is that while many things are of the highest importance to us, such as truth, love, justice, and the classical virtues, beauty is, perhaps, the foremost among them. I think Dostoevsky also meant that beauty is something you cannot walk past without noticing, and beauty can never be taken for granted. You cannot get used to seeing it.” – Gen. Doug Satterfield, November 28, 2022
BM Sculptures is owned and operated by Blake McFarland, a retired professional baseball player, turned artist. I stumbled across some of his works and was immediately hooked by them. One of his most creative pieces of art is this whale sculpture. I think most of us can appreciate the effort and talent put into this piece.
BM Sculptures 2022
More of his art can be found on his website. Better yet, he documents the building of these pieces on his YouTube channel. I highly recommend both, so grab a look.
Remember that art is about judgment. It is about the judgment of what is good and proper. In the future, I will occasionally highlight another artist that I believe is outstanding in their field of expertise.
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Please read my books:
“ Remember that art is about judgment. It is about the judgment of what is good and proper.” — Gen. Doug Satterfield
“ Recreations of Historical Beauty: be Alert to Beauty”
https://www.theleadermaker.com/recreations-of-historical-beauty-be-alert-to-beauty/
“When the fathers of the Christian Church were trying to understand God, to conceptualize God, he is seen as the sum of all good. What’s the highest value? It’s the sum of all good. It’s the integration of beauty and truth and justice … and so beauty is a window into that highest good. It’s a pointer to it. Of course [beauty] is vital because what could possibly more important than a pointer that is immune to rational criticism of the higher good.” – Dr. Jordan Peterson
Another great insight from Dr. Jordan Peterson.
Sir, I went to the company website and was happy to look over his works. I agree that the artwork is of fine quality. His prices are extremely high where the average person could not afford them. This is not to detract from Gen. Satterfield’s point but to add that there is a cost to beauty and sometimes we cannot own it, but simply look and appreciate it. While this article may seem out of subject, it fits perfectly into the theme of this website. Gen. Satterfield pointed this out in the quote.
“Beauty is not something you can walk by without noticing.”
WOW WOW. WOW
If there is one thing I’ve learned from Gen. Satterfield it is that beauty is not just in the eyes of the beholder but partly a component of our being and thus in all of us. It is also what makes us in the image of God.
Pastor Jim, good point. Perhaps Gen. Satterfield could elaborate on this idea for us. Oh, nearly forgot to mention that I now have both Gen. S.’s books and they are welcome reading anytime I want to sit back and enjoy the time to read.
Hi The Observer, this idea you have here is one of the main reasons I read his blog each day and try to make a comment. I want others to pull apart my ideas and show me where I am weakest. That is my philosophy of how to get better. I’m developing a tough skin from the comments of others tearing apart my thoughts. I can then work to strengthen them. Before I forget, I’m wishing everybody here a wonderful THANKSGIVING DAY. Be with family. If you cannot be with family, the be with friends. 🦃
Very beautiful.