June 26th, 2009
at the Gallery at the Blackstone Winery – Gonzales, CA
Sky Over Mountains – Dan Beck 2007 – Pigment Print on title wall of current exhibition
Opening Reception – tomorrow – Saturday June 27, 2009 2 – 4pm
MEDIUM : RARE Exhibition will remain up into the second week in August.
Below is an excerpt from my “Artist Statement”
My preference is for people to not focus as much on how I create art, as how the art appeals to them or affects them. In most cases, the subject matter was chosen because my experience of a place has left me with such a strong impression. I clue in on a few particular aspects of what I am seeing and try to articulate those aspects in a way that translates a feeling and invites further exploration.
The process of creating art using the tools of digital painting is important in a different way. It reveals much of what excites me about art. The computer allows me to overlap translucent gradients of color, and paint in a way I could never have conceived of using conventional painting methods. I can manipulate and change my paintings in ways that continue to remain magical. The language of art is unchanged, but the tools I am using to create it require the time period we are living in.
For me, creating art needs to be fun and meditative – it also requires problem solving and experimentation to make something look the way it is supposed to look. I am always trying to push my abilities and develop new ways of working. I firmly believe there are many ways to get to the right place – and similarly, many meanings are richer than just one.
See Also
- Blackstone Winery – it is a beautiful gallery space with enough room for 30 plus paintings in the main gallery – not mentioned on their website – but they deserve credit for continuing to utilize the space with regularly changing high quality exhibits.
Tags: artist statement, blackstone winery, color, digital painting, gonzales ca, mountains, solo exhibition
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June 19th, 2009
Sea-ing is Believing
Monterey Bay Colors – Dan Beck – February 2009
On certain days, there is an incredible green glow that comes from the ocean when the sun shines through. In the month of February, the ocean – at least on this particular day – was an incredible shade of blue.
I have taken great liberties with the way I have painted the sand dunes, painted the ocean, painted the structures which butt out from the land on old Ford Ord just west of Hiway 1 – not sure if it is Marina or Seaside – but this is not important.
What is important to me and was at the time of painting this – is the intensity of color – the remarkable show that I have never seen quite the same elsewhere. What are these Fall colors doing in the midst of such a tropical colored ocean show?
I share this today because of the strength with which this piece is painted.
See Also
- Tropical CD Cover Art – the colors reminded me of some other art where one can “put oneself in the scene”
- Another Example – also from the same cd cover project – good album too
- Fall Color – a painting of mine by that name – oddly a passing California vineyards image
Tags: Art, cd cover art, color, Dan Beck, intensity, monterey bay, painting, prints, sand dunes
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June 1st, 2009
the dance of how we see
Sync Hoes – digital image – Dan Beck 2009
This painting was created in early April. It is an image which comes from both what I witness and what I understand.
This is often the nature of how I create – something captures my attention – in this case the in-sync hoeing that looks like a dance to a slow passing motorist. It was the relationship of the field workers I was focused on and not the location.
There was a place – but again I was more concerned with the color. Attention is related to understanding because so much of what we see is dependent upon what we are looking to see.
One could see the above art as abstract, as colorful, as primitive, as movement or perhaps none of the above. It is my understanding which makes it work – I hope it works for yours as well.
See Also
Hoe Dance – 2005 painting with a similar theme
Original Art – exploring the meaning
Tags: color, Dan Beck, digital image, field workers, Original Art, painting, understanding
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May 15th, 2009
zoom in to enjoy the most
Harvest Depth – starting image for music/art video – Dan Beck 2008
Exactly 1 year ago today, I posted a video which contained both a recording of one of my songs with corresponding images from my related paintings. The original article linked to youtube. The visual and audio quality was pretty poor and I didn’t do much to promote or share it.
Today I am sharing the video on what has been a hidden page on my site until today.
As for the content of the video – I think it speaks for itself – the song is entitled “Nothing Is Equal”
– it is really a tribute to how people can make the best out of their situation – it is loaded with respect and I suppose some shared guilt for life being so unequal.
It offers not just a five minute tour of my digital art and music, but also two PDF files which anyone can print and get a better idea of what this work really looks like.
Even printed on a standard letter paper will reveal details and a feeling which cannot be appreciated by just looking at a monitor image.
See Also
- Play & Print – art and music combined for a true Outhouse Studios Tour and flavor
- More Music from 1danband – another hidden resource – my undeveloped MySpace page – just not much of a social net-worker as of yet
Tags: Digital Art, hidden resource, music, music art, Original Art, painting, print art
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May 10th, 2009
embracing the work I can
Toro Inspired – digital art painting – Dan Beck 2009
The artwork is inspired by Mount Toro – a part of the Santa Lucia Mountains – still Salinas. There is a particular area I am thinking of in doing this painting, but it is not so particularly literal – what else is new.
Actually – where I find myself today is working on a major website redo – but being more overwhelmed by the prospect than being able to get on with the doing. There is no substitute for just doing – but it is a daunting task to simplify that which has gotten too big to manage.
Since I am painting instead of website building – and blogging instead – the piece undoubtedly reflects this state. If I could take the same approach as I do with art – I will get it done – but I am less inspired by website design than by the beauty that surrounds me – so I do art and hope that the next days will find it easier to get more done in the process.
On the bright side, I have been wanting to paint this area for quite some time – with or without cows – wasn’t sure – but today it felt like it needed a few cows – a digital challenge for a mouse freehander like myself.
See Also
- Taking on the View – Article and only other painting with cows – this one taking from the foothills of the othe mountain chain that creates the Salinas Valley
- Original Art – how can something reproducible be considered original – what does it even mean?
Tags: art painting, artwork, cows, Digital Art, digital challenge, hills, inspiration, mountains, Original Art, Salinas Valley, santa lucia mountains
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April 29th, 2009
color and spring significance
Spring Start – digital painting for art prints – Dan Beck 2009
In the Salinas Valley – if feels like spring starts in February – which is when this piece was created. The crops are spottily coming in and the hills and mountains are beginning to show green. As seen above, the dirt is still the most prevalent feature to the landscape, but the colors are becoming rich. And though the change from winter to spring is much less clear than in most other parts of the country, it is nevertheless, a noticeable change and a welcome feeling.
If you are not from around here, you might not recognize the irrigation in the background – but this is the way it looks from a distance. Many liberties taken with the emerging rows of young lettuce – but as I have written too many times – it is more about the feeling than the literalness.
I rely on no camera – just the lasting impression from what I spied. Like the beginning of Spring – this is a first for me… a new article with a standard wordpress blog – instead of the customized version I had grown accustomed to – but had neglected. With the new standard blog – I have subscribers – but I don’t know what that means – perhaps one of you can explain it with a comment. Are you informed when I post?
See Also
- Original Art – discussion of what it means and how it pertains to digital painting and its prints
Tags: art print, beginning of spring, digital painting, hills, landscape, mountains, Salinas Valley, spring starts
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March 11th, 2009
through the woods
Eucalyptus View – painting – Dan Beck 2009
This is the most recent finished painting I have done. I am no longer particularly current on my blogging and am not sure if or when I will become so again. I’ve done a lackluster job of trying to engage people -
A blog is supposed to be a place for people to comment and interact and create something more than what is written by the author. I suppose my tendency is to write a little too much to myself – or write in a way that doesn’t invite comment – and of course – it probably would help if I tried to create an audience by actually inviting people to read my articles and then to comment… by the way – please feel free.
I chose the subject above because of the drama of looking through the giant Eucalyptus trees to the fields beyond – a scene I viewed driving as a passenger on the 101 south of Salinas before you get to King City.
I think on a deeper level it is also a metaphor for how we see ourselves – on what should we focus? – expressions that come to mind : one can’t always see the forest through the trees … it is hard to see through the growth…
I don’t care where you are in life – it is next to impossible to see oneself the way others see us.
My biggest fan was always my mother – today would have been her 90th birthday – had she lived that long. Eucalyptus was a favorite of hers – I thought of both these things only as I finished this article.
Listen or View
- Digital Art – since this is an example of painting on the computer, get a further understanding of how non descriptive this term really is
- Has Life Turned a Corner – written a couple weeks after my mother died (almost seven years ago) and the eve of having to put my dog down – damn – Sure glad I don’t feel this way now! – but I do still like the song and do still miss those who are gone
- Forest Through the Trees – found this silk painting by some search results – don’t know the artist but I do like the image of the silk painting – perhaps you will too
Tags: Art, Digital Art, digital_art, fields, music, painting, trees
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January 19th, 2009
Field of Dreams 1 – digital drama – harvesting money
the current sea of wisdom?
I am a lousy capitalist – I hate how important money is in our world. I appreciate a lot of the finer things in life and appreciate how money can make a lot of those things possible – but money by itself has become too much the stuff of dreams.
Money is not an end in itself – or at least I don’t think it should be – but what do I know. Is money the new idol?
I want to believe in what is lasting in life – money just circulates – you can’t hold on to it – like food it needs to be replaced – and how easily it is blown or blown away …
My understanding is that we are One People on One Planet …
WE HAVE ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD!
I hope someday we can act like it – and lift each other up.
Corresponding Song
- Money Is Too Important – Dan Beck 2006- to quote the song “I’d like less worrying, though I am not at all bad off, I’d like less worrying, like everyone I’ve known”
Tags: capitalist, currency, life money, one people, wisdom
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December 30th, 2008
different digital challenges
Hillside Fun – digital art – Dan Beck 2008
One of the things I have improved on over the years is paying attention to the composition – so that a piece works both large and small. With digital art – there is not necessarily an optimum size and certainly not a one and only size.
As I have taken on this medium, I keep trying to do work which utilizes the attributes which are unique to creating art on the computer. Stepping back is done by minimizing the size – and getting up close is done by magnifying.
Once a work is printed, I find they are generally stronger as they get large enough to see the detail found when creating the piece. Texture and overlap of color come into their own in a way that is really only hinted at by a monitor screen – but yet again – seeing on a monitor may actually be closer than with a photo of a more traditional form of art.
See Also
Original Art – discussion of what it means particulary in the context of digital painting and prints on demand
Changing Landscape of Traditional Art – an internet search yielded an interesting thought but not sure if the internet has changed our access to this degree
Tags: Art, color, composition, Digital Art, digital_art, hills, Original Art, original_art, painting, prints, texture
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December 2nd, 2008
Planting the Details
Gray Fields – Dan Beck 2008
On an overcast day in Salinas - a few weeks ago – was a lot of planting going on – through plastic covered rows of dirt – ready to become next year’s strawberries. Though I understood what I was seeing – this digital painting is more stylized than detailed.
The fields are gray – the day is gray – and yet it felt very peaceful.
It fits with the distance I was viewing and the pace I was driving – much faster than the pace of life today.
The plasticized fields are both ugly and beautiful all at the same time – the decision to paint it I think rests upon these clearly coexisting opposites.
See Also
Tags: Art, digital painting, fields, painting
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