Look at a coffee mug. Most of us pay little attention to this second sort of space, but a painter must. Hankin has noticed that his Asian students at Hopkins have an easier time grasping this concept than do his Western students. They have an innate ability to simultaneously see the forest and the trees, to see the individual components and the whole composition. Once students grab hold of the concept, their drawing immediately improves.
Artists are alert for visual elements that can be used later.
Non-painters are more casual in their looking. The painter is thinking about his next painting. Strand makes small collages, some inspired by landscapes and composed of bands of colors that fascinate him. Looking through a recent issue of Johns Hopkins Magazine, he pauses to examine a full-page illustration. I'll cut these out and use them.