It may sound radical, but I disagree with the statement that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” It is rather preference that is in the eye of the beholder, otherwise why have rules of composition or color harmony?  If beauty is not based upon an absolute standard, then we as artists are left either floundering in a structureless neverland or we are left so helplessly without form that art cannot exist.

Edgar Whitney, in his classic Complete Guide to Watercolor Painting,   says “Emphasis must be placed upon what  must be the artist’s greatest single concern every time his brush touches paper –––design. . . . . There are too many students who do not know that competence can be learned and taste can be educated into us.”  It seems, then, that to grow as artists we must grow in both competence and taste.

Aspiring to a higher standard of beauty makes me appreciate the gift of art as a means to getting more out of life.