How, and what, do we see?

The other day, as I was leaving the house, I got all the way out to the car before I realized I didn't have my cell phone with me (the cell phone I got after holding the line against one for years and then breaking down along 95 South - traveling with a friend whose cell phone and AAA membership saved the entire weekend!).

Went back inside and looked by my chair. Looked beside the computer, and on the pull out keyboard shelf. Looked in the bathroom. Looked beside the bed, on my dresser, bedside table, on the floor near the bed. Went into the kitchen and looked on the counters, on the potholders stacked next to the stove. Looked beside the front door and on the front table. Checked under the cushions on my chair and beside the chair on the floor and under the coffee table.

Repeat...

By this time I was getting pretty angry. I do this a lot, taking the cell phone or my keys with me when I remember I've forgotten something, or when I'm moving from one room to another getting ready to go. Then, the checklist of necessities stops me at the door or sometimes even when I'm already down the road.

So, back to the car. Check the purse (empty it out which is not a small job!) and check the seats, the floors, the catch-all between the front seats, and under the back bench seat.

Back to the house.
Take a deep breath.

Back through the living room, through the bathroom, and into the office.
The cell phone was sitting on the edge of my desk in plain sight!

So.

Obviously every time I ran my eyes across that desk - and that was many times - my eyes saw the cell. But in all those times it did not register.

What is vision?
What relationship does the image coming into our eyes have to the actual registering of that image?

What role, if any, does art (my art) have to play in this interaction?

To be continued...