More Mountain & Clouds – Dan Beck – digital painting / art prints 2004

The clouds do come in and swallow the mountains. The mountains do not look so madras like. They do have color in them, but not quite so obvious.

The transparent nature of some of the clouds and the blue sky poking through, I know to be true as well.

I know this is representative of what is, but I am not sure it is as strong in the category of beautiful in its own right.

A similar scene was tackled earlier by me as a digital painting and has been tackled several times since – a more recent take. Like many of the pieces from this time, this was intended to be quite large and hard to envision even with the enlarged details.

See Also

• collage-recreation : nouveaux_collages_pr
  in searching for madras found these interesting collages – worth taking a look at
• Twin Peaks Low Clouds
  a fun time lapse watching the clouds roll in
• More Mountain & Clouds
  art print options for above digital painting

Big Valley 1 – Digital Painting / Art Prints – Dan Beck 2005

What I see today is the geometry of lines – the exaggerated rows of crops or dirt – creating a backdrop both unmistakable and unreal.

I like the way the foreground pokes out of the next layer – making one unclear as to whether everything is at the same height or up a level of hill.

I love the lines which look like a shirt and the tissue like nature of the mountains. It is far from literal – but I know this place…

This is the valley I see so regularly – but also a place of its own.

See Also

• Big Valley 1
  art print options and availability for above digital painting
• Harvesting in Salinas
  Aerial shot of valley and other photos of celery harvest
• Take a Hike with Unlimited Limited – Chimneys West
  Had the type photo I was looking for with layers of mountains – some other nice shots here

Winter Colors – digital painting /art prints - Dan Beck 2006

Despite the symmetry of the mountain peak in the center, I still enjoy the feeling of this piece.

The colors are true to winter here, but the curving strips over the land creating a mounded look are from who knows where.

I think I was working towards a more finished look but opted to quit before I got there. Sometimes one likes a stage enough to stop there – I am assuming that is what happened here.

The look is a bit uncharacteristic – though my style typically includes abstract elements.  A digital painting of mine that is this worked is usually more literal. But then again this was more of a composite – pulling the man holding the dirt out of some former memory.

See Also

• Winter Colors
  Art print options and availabilty for above digial painting
• Digital Printmaker and Painter Susan KAPROV
  In doing some related searches – this site came up – a quite different approach and some very cool work
• The Photography collection at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, LACMA
  Because of the “abstract elements” in the first photograph – I stumbled upon this site – interesting images plus the Bermuda triangle image has almost identical colors to above piece

Sunset for Andrea – digital painting / art prints – 2005

Not feeling much like writing today – sure I am not the first one. I played the random image game and came up with this painting twice.

Since I was thinking about Andrea earlier today – it should not really be a surprise. Her life ended way too young but her presence like the record of this painting continues on.

This painting reminds me of a blanket – it has warmth and texture and covers the viewer in a glow. The sunset was of course more amazing -but then again – it was transient like a life.

Despite the sad day – this was a celebratory sky.

See Also

• Sunset
  photo and poetic words
• Sunset for Andrea
  art print options for above painting

Valley Comfort – digital painting / art prints – Dan Beck 2006

This is a well named piece on many levels. But as time has gone on, I find the comfort in the painting itself.

I didn’t invent these colors, but I sure find them pleasing together. The V of field and mountain is also nothing new – it is visible in nature as well as in other landscapes.

There is a warmth to the soil, fields and trees which hopefully makes one want to linger here. I really enjoy the Salinas Valley landscape and I suspect that that is the feeling which is coming through so strongly.

See Also

• Valley Comfort
  art print options for above digital painting
• Salinas Valley
  simply an image – looks like Spreckels – but similar to rendering above
• Longfield
  earlier work and landscape with strong angular feel

Hill Mountain Fog – digital painting / art prints – Dan Beck 2005

Gray – drizzly – overcast day here in Salinas. The clouds have been sensational – the fog looking like a beard around the mountains.

But since I haven’t been painting for the last week or so, I have to sit on my laurels. This was the first piece that came to mind.

As an artist, I am very pleased with this digital painting.  I was able to do everything  I set out to do. The piece feels like the overcast area. It looks more like Spring than the way things look now, but nevertheless it carries the color of rain.

See Also

• Autumn Leaves: The Color of Rain
  Poem by name – color of rain – liked the phrase – found it interesting what I found
• Hill Mountain Fog
  art print options – and look at the catalogue

Works from Art Prints starting at $95

From the digital paintings done between 2004 and the end of 2005 – these are definately some of my favorites.

The work done in the last year is visible throughout the blogsite – articles and enlargements can be found by digital image. They are a few weeks away from being set up with purchasing options, but it will happen.

My hope is to be able to offer prints for purchase at the same time of introducing a digital painting online or shortly afterwards.

If you like the work, but haven’t found the piece of your dreams – stay tuned.

See Also

• Digital Painting – Wikipedia, the free encylclopedia
  descriptions change over time – communtity changed understanding – but still useful to grasp possiblities
• IOnOne art | painting
  The blurred line of digital – painting can be altered photography or 3D computer effects – but some good images mixed in
• Art from $95 at Outhouse Studios
  section of catalogue of art prints – good viewing of work – access to all works on sale

The Hills You Say – digital painting / art prints – Dan Beck

I came across this piece today while making it available again for purchase – I suppose a strange benefit of having to redo the entire shopping cart and database of close to a thousand items.

I liked this piece at the time despite not feeling like it was one of my best – but today I am really taken by the color and texture.

I love the bright orange – I love the way the hills feel like they themselves are being blown in the wind. It reminds me of the color and light right before a storm …

something I am seeing today.

See Also

• Scene before a Storm
  Landscape photos – next shot looks like earlier before storm and maybe closer to what I am thinking
• Before the Storm
  A number of nice paintings here – by Maria Bertran – don’t know the artist but like what I saw
• The Hills You Say
  purchasing options for this limited edition print

Autumn Grape Color – digital painting / art prints – Dan Beck 2006

Fall is reserved for the East Coast – mostly New England. I say this out of complete prejudice from having witnessed the New England Fall many a time.

Now that I live in California – I do notice signs of Fall – some changing leaves from deciduous trees – but I was shocked last week to notice fields and fields of color from the dying grape vine leaves.

A spectacular show – that I hope I have put enough of my own spin on…

See Also

• Fall
  Photos of Fall in New England – a sense of what it is like
• Foot Hill Views
  a different piece this reminds me of
• Autumn Grape Color – art print options and availability for the above digital painting

Another Lightness – digital painting / art prints – Dan Beck 2004

There are times when the mountains seem otherworldly – particularly I have been fascinated by the light that emerges on the mountains seemingly right under the overcast.

It is about perspective and distance – that creates the illusion – but than again – seeing is about seeing – not about what is scientifically there.  And in this case, it is also about an impression.

This piece captures the strangeness of light and abstractly portrays a phenomena that would be less real done a different way.

See Also

• uzilite.com
  “light obliterating every shades” according to Google – nice photos and very slick the way they are displayed – quite fun
• strange light pictures
  spirit in the lens – truth is not the issue for me – but the strange light irresistable
• Another Lightness
  gallery page – enlarge/details – art print options