not hours, but understanding and experience

Color Crossings - digital painting - original prints - Dan Beck 2007

I don’t usually think about how long it takes to create a piece, but I started this digital painting this morning and am printing as I write and just finished uploading the images to website.

It took six hours to paint this - I don’t know exactly where that stands. It would be little for most oil painters - a lot for many, but certainly not all watercolorists; and probably about right for me.

As a rule, I generally complete a piece in two sittings - I like having two perspectives on a piece. But today, I felt comfortable and confident as I rolled the hills and rowed the crop fields.

This original painting has a depth and a material warmth that feels good to me and it is also a bit over the top with the mountains and sky in the background.

See Also

• Original Art - discussion of original art in most of its meanings - found at Outhouse Studios
• Steven Givler - local watercolorist tackles California Central Coast - works in sittings - unusually patient detailed work. This page needs some time to load but there are some gems
• Crossroads Dispatches: It Takes a Lifetime to Create a Masterpiece - I read through this quickly, but realized I liked quite a bit of the sentiment