Warning: this contemporary abstract art is not for serious art collectors.

Quick wit and a sense of humor are required.

Let’s talk about the “Elephant in the Room.”

“Common sense and a sense of humor are the same thing, moving at different speeds. A sense of humor is just common sense, dancing.”

–Clive James

Visual metaphor in art.

Yes, there is the elephant in the room, staring right at us.

And someone else liked my sense of humor because this abstract photograph made the manmade shortlist in the Close Up Photographer of the Year contest. That’s quite an honor for me because the competition for CUPOTY is intense–and let’s admit it, this is a quirky kind of close-up. It is the elephant in the room, for goodness sake.

I can’t help myself when I see things like this, though. When I see faces in everyday objects, my brain snaps to. And then my camera clicks. That’s pareidolia!

No fear, it’s a neuroscience thing. You don’t have to worry that I have a disorder. I haven’t found any faces on my toast. But then, I don’t eat much toast because I’m gluten-free. And gluten-free bread isn’t that good, so my opportunity to have toast with a face is pretty limited.

Did you know that Leonardo da Vinci saw characters in natural markings on stone walls? It is a real thing. They apparently inspired him. Uh yea, I’d say so. So I’m in good company. Just point me out to a major chapel that needs abstract art. And according to scientists, once you start seeing these faces, you can’t stop. I’m living proof. And now, gotcha too!

Fun abstract wall art

I happened upon this face as I was photographing at an outdoor museum that houses vintage mining equipment. Most all the trucks in this museum are so old that they have rust, peeling paint, and in this case, a windshield that had bullet holes. Yes, my kind of wonderful!

Check it out: The Gold King Mine Ghost Town.

Long ago, manufacturers made windshields from pressed glass sheets. The sheets had adhesive holding them together. In good condition, the glass looks clear. That is until bullets fracture the glass or some break occurs. Once air can enter between the sheets, all sorts of interesting patterns start developing. 

That means field day for me. And in this windshield, I see two eyes, two ears, and a long trunk–definitely an elephant. Well, it could also be Snuffleupagus, but that doesn’t sound so good, it’s awfully hard to spell, and I can imagine there’d be some copyright issues. So I’m sticking with the elephant.

Naming this “Elephant in the Room” made me think about my mission: a deeper appreciation for the little moments. Is life trying to tell me I am missing something bigger? Oh gosh, please no. I just put “the little moments” saying all over my website and business cards. So tell me that isn’t so.

Perhaps the elephant in the room is that there are freaking bullet holes in the windshield. What happened to the driver?

So for the Captain Obvious people out there, you can skip this paragraph. The idiom “elephant in the room” means ignoring an issue, usually something obvious but embarrassing or uncomfortable to discuss.  Yes, the dog letting one rip.  Well, actually, I’d feel comfortable bringing that topic up. So that isn’t a good example of the elephant in the room. It’s a stinky example. So sorry.

But lately, we have had a lot of polar opposite types of situations in society. So I bet you could think of a myriad of times this might have been a fun way to deal with bringing up those uncomfortable moments. First, gather a really diverse group of friends, or make it more interesting and add relatives, and then yell out, “Hey, we need to talk about the elephant in the room.” Then when it’s all awkward, and people are shifting in their chairs because everyone thinks the next war will break out in your living room, you point at the abstract wall art.

As they say, humor is the best way to lighten a mood.

Art idioms to admire in abstract metaphorical art.

The saying “there’s the elephant in the room” came from a fable written by the Russian writer Ivan Krylov in 1814, called “The Inquisitive Man.” In the story, a man visits a museum. After his visit, he can recall seeing all sorts of tiny animals, but not the elephant. So he asks his friend not to tell anyone of his big miss.

There is some thought that previous to this fable, Russian royalty sort of dissed Krylov by naming a list of fable writers named Ivan and forgetting about him in that list.  So now we have some intrigue. Yet, I have no way of verifying this as fact or not. In trying to be careful about believing what I read on the Internet, you decide. And in case anyone from Russian royalty reads my post, “hey, love ya guys, you’re the best!”

But back to the photo. What a great honor it is to have my humble, broken windshield get the spotlight. The other shortlisted entries are nothing short of amazing. Check them out. I wish I took them. I have a severe case of photographer envy. Especially the new underwater category photos. But then, I never passed the scuba diving test. I bombed. I’m so glad someone else could get their ears to pop. Not only that, they can figure out camera settings, not hyperventilate upon seeing sharks, and can monitor the little remaining oxygen in their tank at the same time. There’s some goodness that I never got certified.

Fun abstract metaphorical art for instilling humor in your home or office.

My best bet is to stay above water and concentrate on abstract art. So, what other art idioms should I tackle?

“The five-hundred-pound gorilla?”
“Big fish in a small pond?”
“It’s not rocket science?”
“Hit the sack?”
“Cutting corners?”
“Let someone off the hook?”
“Pull someone’s leg?”

I’m all ears. Stop, already, right? Okay, but let me know of places with loads of textures, patterns, and oddball items to photograph. This type of stuff really fires me up. So pop me a message below. 

Open the discussions in your office conference room with the “Elephant in the Room.” Metaphorical art printed on Lumachrome acrylic adds a finished gallery effect to your office. For more about ordering, click here.

If you already subscribe, help a girl out. Forward this to a friend you think would get a kick out of this abstract art and quirky writing. If you don’t forward this, there’s going to be that awkward silence between us…you know, that elephant in the room? Let’s not let that happen.