It is said that learning to draw is learning to see. There is truth in the notion that the trained artist, or innately gifted artist, develops a heightened visual sensibility, but only within the biological constraints common to the human species.

The evolution of the human mind and eye has been driven by the immediate needs of embodied creatures inseparable from their immediate environments. The eye is by no means a passive receptor.   Visual perception is active, exploratory, creative, anticipatory and highly selective. The innate optical toolkit of each individual is fine-tuned during infancy based on “epi-genetic,” developmental interactions with the environment. This is a dynamic, constructive process that requires time and benefits from trial and error.

The personal history, striving and idiosyncrasies of the artist certainly come into play during the creative act, but biology reigns supreme. The fact is that we are genetically predetermined, and epi-genetically primed, to see in a very particular way.