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grows on you; you enjoy being inside finding surprise

Houses on the Hillside - digital painting / art prints - DB 2005

Just like what makes a good piece of art, what makes a good art print is really about how it is received.

I would never say beauty is in the eye of the beholder - for to me that would relegate it to relativism and nothing.

Some people love fast food over all else - I have seen someone go buy it in place of a gourmet meal - more than once I might add.

But my digression, is only to say that an art print should grow on you - it should be a place you enjoy being inside looking at and a place which continues to surprise you.

Unfortunately, one can not know for sure unless one buys a piece and lives with it. Which is one of the reasons I suppose these art prints are such a great way of buying original art - there are a number of economic options.

See Also

• Houses on the Hillside
  size availabiltiy and pricing for art prints for above digital painting
• Art Quotes
  Quotes from many artists - some pertaining to beauty - others just meant for the kind of reaction one might have to art itself - I should think - a good selection here

saving early stage of digital painting as complete

Fennel Field & Sky - digital painting / art prints - DB 2006

This is a fun piece for me - because I decided to create 3 pieces out of one. I stopped at the above place and saved it - because I knew I really liked it where it was.

As the artist creating the piece, I was neither done painting or done trying to create my original vision or intent.

What a great thing to be able to save a piece but continue taking it somewhere else. I like the idea of different stages of calling something done.

As an art print, I find myself particularly drawn to the undulated field of fennel and the equally worked sky and mountains - very pleasing with the blue, purple, and green.

If interested in art prints or availability for this digital painting, please email: specialorders@outhousestudios.net.

See Also

• Longfield
  an earlier work which is reminisent of this piece and nice in its own right - please view enlargement for texture
• Digital Art
  artist comments on when it is done - in collage section - different methods of course - but interesting to understand some of his process

beach time needed for similar inspiration

Wave Spray - digital painting / art prints - Dan Beck - 2005

I haven’t spent enough time at the beach over the last year and as a result haven’t tossed out very many images.

I was there not long ago - and though very inspiring - I didn’t end up with an impression lasting or strong enough to try to share.

The piece above is a fascinating work to me - because I find it to be simply nice for most purposes until I view it large as intended. The spray which is what this piece is about - really works well when viewed large.

At monitor viewing size, it is sweet, but as a full sized art print - the feeling of the scene is robust.

See Also

• Wave Spray
  availability of art prints for digital painting Wave Spray
• Ed Book’s Journal
  found an image of his with wave spray - I really like this gentleman’s accompanying images

negative space, balance, and madras color

My Series 4 - digital painting / art prints - Dan Beck 2005

This isn’t one of my favorites in this series - but more because it is a little obvious for me. The series is about the line between representation and abstraction - but this piece is clearly mountainous and therefore wasn’t quite as successful.

On the other hand, it is pleasing to look at and reads well. The negative space is particularly strong and despite the strong mountain image - it is light - built almost like a sculpture whose base seems too light for the weight of the piece.

What are holding these mountains up? And why are they wearing a madras shirt?

See Also

• d’gallery
  when searching for sculptures and balance - this artist - Michelle Farrell - came up - three nice pieces - good space- good form - worth checking out
• SpaceMain
  simple discussion of space, negative space and form - sometimes simple says more
• My Series 4
  view art print options for the above piece

image fits watercolor paper by design - gives unique look

photo of Art Print from digital painting Mound 2 Mountains

This is a photo of a 13 x 19 inch print of my most recent digital painting. I wanted to show how it fills the page. The size of the digital painting was designed to fit this size paper with the smallest margin possible on the Outhouse Studios in house printer.

It curves in because the camera wasn’t perfectly centered - I didn’t take the proper time on this one - sorry. But nevertheless, I think it gives an idea of how a print can look. I think the thin border of white is actually pretty cool and shows off the uniqueness of the digital medium.

For art prints of this digital painting, please email: specialorders@outhousestudios.net.

See Also

• Field 2 Mountain
  Name and composition reminds me of this piece
• Sanford & A Lifetime of Color’s Art Education Resources
  Why the photo of the art print is not square

not letting a powerful piece stop the creative flow

Mntn Sails Again         Mountains Sails

One of the things I have noticed about myself when it comes to creating is that I tend to not want to try to do something again if I feel like I hooked it the first time.

After I have recorded music, I find that I no longer want to play the songs I have recorded - particularly if the recording came out really well.

With art it is the same thing - the first digital painting above I have always really loved. It has a visual uncertainty - between sails and mountains - water and sky - that was not intended but rather landed upon.

The second piece was years later - trying to create the same visual ambiguity - it is a good piece and a fine art print but I don’t find it nearly as strong.

Whether it is something new or something old, not all pieces will be as good. It is not worth getting intimidated over previous work ( I tell myself) - creativity works best without too much competition - including one’s own.

See Also

• Something different - competition standards tend to discourage creativity - P-Essay - Column PSA Journal - Find Articles
  how competition stifles creativity in photography - kind of like grading can in school
• Mountain Sails
  availability of art prints from digital painting “Mountain Sails”
• Mntn Sails Again
  availability of art prints from digital painting “Mntn Sails Again”

new guide might help you find what you are looking for

Screen shot of Google image search

If you do image searches, or any search for that matter, on the internet - you might click on that image or page and find what you are looking for -missing.

With documents - looking at a cached version will often help you to find what you were originally looking for in your search.

But images can be more illusive - the image can usually be looked at individually - but finding its context - good luck.

With that said - this blogsite now has a guide by images of the digital paintings - allowing one to find the original article even when one arrived here by following an image.

I, of course, think it is a wonderful idea - but am cautiously optimistic that anyone will use it to find the image, article, enlargement, or even buy an art print spotted like this - but I certainly hope so.

See Also

• Blogsite Exclusive Images
  guide is divided into two - These images are only found on Blogsite - not on website at this time
• Images Also Found on Website Proper
  These are images which are found in galleries on Outhouse Studios website and also in articles on Blogsite
• Google Image Search
  In case you are unfamiliar - try your own image search

digital source yields originals - accurate printing yields intentional work

I am not the only one who does digital painting, digital art, or computer art.  A search of any of the above yields millions of results and no doubt thousands of artists.

Much of what I am excited about is the fact that the art print from a digital source is an original. There are no reproductions - just prints.

True - the image was created by looking at a monitor version of the piece - and in a sense that would be the original - but no more than the lithographic stone is the original.

Because the print is the place one truly views the work first - the printing aspect is critical.  At Outhouse Studios, there has been systematic experimentation to get it right, and systematic experimentation with the professional printing company used for the larger pieces as well.

Without that aspect - the work would still be original - but not particularly intentional.

See Also

• Digital Art - Wikipedia Free Encyclopedia
  Not refereced above - helps to complete picture on the Wikipedia take
• VectorPoint: Posters, Prints of Central California and Monterey Bay
  Website of the local professional printer I work with
• Outhouse Studios
  Homepage - starting point for galleries, info, music, and owning your own original art print

influence and innovation of the master

Last night I had the pleasure of watching a program on PBS about Paul Cezanne.  In  the show, Picasso was quoted as saying Cezanne was the "father of us all". 

Cezanne was his own man - he painted as he felt he should and did not believe in blindly following the style of his time.  His work is impressionistic but slips into abstraction before anyone else even thought to see that way.

Cezanne has always been one of my favorites - how could he not be?  There are plenty of places to buy an art print reproduction of Paul Cezanne’s on the net and elsewhere. 

On the other hand, it is also possible to buy original art prints  - affordable due to digital painting - and though not a now tried and true classic - perhaps innovative in the same way as Paul Cezanne was - at least it is my intent to follow my own path.

See Also

• Cezanne in Provence
  Info about the PBS special on Paul Cezanne’s life and work
• Cezanne in Provence - Image Gallery
  Some images of art work shown in show
• Impressionist Art Gallery
  Outhouse Studios gallery with more unintentional Cezanne influence

breaking the rules of visual sense

Valley Work - digital painting / art prints - Dan Beck 2005

Funny I should want to write about this piece as an art print … because I have yet to see it printed at optimum size.  I can see sections of it at the proper size on my computer monitor - but not the whole piece at once.

It is, however, quite wonderful even printed at 13 x19".  I like the piece because it wasn’t about rules - the yellow and orange sky - just seemed right - the chaotic feeling to the land and dirt - didn’t have to make complete visual sense - it just worked.

On top of it - the statement - which I recall clearly at the time - the tractor driver I had never seen waving hello while my neighbors who I did know, ignored me from even closer.

See Also

• Roy Lichtenstein Quotes
  visual sense quote - why not?
• visual sense - definition of visual sense by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia
  since seeing and understanding go hand in hand - guess this works
• Valley Work
  availability of art prints for digital painting: Valley Work