Art « Outhouse Studios Weblog

Posts Tagged ‘Art’

Double Rooted Nature

Wednesday, February 20th, 2008

seeing for the first time

Rooted Tree – digital art – finger painting – rendering from memory impression – Dan Beck 2008

There are trees like this at one of the places I frequent with my exercise craving dog – it took me a while to notice them.

But like with most things – once one finally sees something – one starts to see the same thing more frequently. Even though I am an artist and probably more observant than most, I am keenly aware of how much of life I miss, until I become finally aware.

Perception, attention, and understanding are all fascinating subjects – I paint from an impression – a memory – quite frequently – knowing that my understanding plays an even bigger role in what I project when painting.

The intention here is not fantasy, but fun and freedom to portray the essential double rooted nature of these trees on the hillside – blasting with my own color but attempting to convey

the beauty and oddness that strikes me and makes me smile when I see them.

Locks & Bagels

Tuesday, February 12th, 2008

where is the hair?

Digital Artist & Musician – Dan Beck

digital photo – dan wearing digital painting self-portrait on t-shirt – the spirit of caricature

As of today – if there is one thing I would like to pass on – it would be the joy and flow of life

when we are not bogged down in our mire of obstacles, self-doubts, disappointment, envy, anger, jealousy, resentments, or simply self absorption

_________

To develop as an artist or maybe just the person that I am – I have isolated myself from many people I both love and care about

I don’t think this was a conscious decision; but like most people, I don’t know how to do everything I want to do – let alone what I feel like I have to do

I didn’t think through the place I am at – I have lived my life and find myself here – going with the flow and not always living consciously

____________

I submit a song – written and recorded last spring – in the context of being sick – alone and contagious – feeling my fragileness – writing about the love in my life – but really all the love in my life

Listen or View

So Much of Life We Do Unconscious – SONG – Dan Beck | 1danband – the lyrics pertinent to the above article – the melody or at least part sounds like a James Taylor song, but not one I can identify – please let me know, if you listen to music and recognize … and yet we always borrow unconsciously …
James Taylor – November release entitled One Man Band
1danband – really I’ve been using the term for my recordings as early as 2002

Tags: Art, music, painting
Posted in Digital Art, Innovative Music | No Comments »

Timing Innovative Music

Thursday, February 7th, 2008

slow release

Red Eye Recordings – cover art – digital art (painting) – Dan Beck 2007

There is no right moment and yet I find myself waiting.

If we find ourselves sick – we wonder what we were waiting for -

We can understand life is a gift – that the amount of time is limited – but none of us – including me – embrace it until we really feel the fear of death – we see ourselves immortal

we put off until tomorrow – how can we not?

I don’t know why it is time today to release – the music from last Spring – but I believe it is.

Free to listen, free to download – free to donate – I doubt that I will be able to put all the pieces in place today – but I have to start somewhere – and to quote … well Hillel as it turns out “If not now, when?”

proving once again – that one of the most innovative things about music is that melody helps us remember content.

Listen or View

Red Eye Recordings – alone & contageous – Dan Beck | 1danband
- Track 1 – Red Eye 1
- Track 2 – Do What You Believe In
If Not Now – acoustic guitar and vocals – video – Tracy Chapman – a beautiful melody and partly why I remember the phrase

Tags: Art, music, painting
Posted in Innovative Music | No Comments »

Part Art / Part Print

Tuesday, January 29th, 2008

All Play

Play Print 1 with Dog – digital art painting – Dan Beck 2008

This is a very recent piece of digital art – playing around with a new template – hoping to introduce a new option for sharing art – more interested in the template size and corresponding original prints than the actual painting.

As a result, I have approached this work as the title suggests – from the point of play. Despite the play – and the landscape painted with abandon – it wreaked of a particular area I had been taking my dog, Bogart, to get some exercise.

Though he probably should have been scampering around the hillside – I ended up putting him in the corner pushing my brand or symbol around – kind of indicative of our relationship I guess – teaching him that I am in charge yet him pushing and resisting most of the way.

some sort of weird karma – reminds me of myself when I was adolescent… and sometimes still am

Path Not Seen

Monday, January 21st, 2008

new format brings on different vision

digital art (painting) - 2 Much 2 Control – Dan Beck 2008

I have started work on a new project – which has lead to a new sized template and as a result a more fluid and playful way of creating. Not totally sure where the idea came from – but that is the nature of ideas – if one lets the mind wander and don’t rule things out before you even think about them – you find something even better as you progress.

On the path, one is always trying to take things to the next level – always striving for a new twist. My desire for a new template was one thing – but the resulting play and at least the look of this piece is a bit different and a nice side benefit.

The tree concept is just about as old as I am – one of the first things I ever committed successfully to paper – I find myself painting often when I am playing – and taking walks to give my dog the running exercise he needs has made me notice some incredible trees.

The solidness of the foreground tree – is about how we focus our attention – but also something that worked most successfully in a recently shown piece. The title is both about attitude towards world these days and the nature of trying to paint on an old computer with a template that is a bit too big for its memory. I used two different computers to create this piece because the old one – just couldn’t compute.

Wait and tree

Monday, January 14th, 2008

art and project remain remote

Remote Tree – digital art painting – Dan Beck 2008

I am working on a new project which I am not quite ready to reveal – but should be coming along rather quickly. Until I get the pieces in place, I am keeping a bit of a lid on it.

Like a lot of the art I do – I like that moment of unveiling – that moment when the image becomes printed – that tad bit of out of control and luck which can be better or worse, but is mostly better than one anticipates.

This is one of the first images from a new template which I am most excited about – size wise. This image was about a specific tree – a place – a feeling – more than an actual – but also about fitting the new project. I believe I have improved upon the template since and it will prove to be an invaluable size – opening up many new doors for a larger range in the size of art prints.

In any event, this digital painting was fun enough to warrant sharing – and so I am.

Open and Shutter

Thursday, January 10th, 2008

digital digits

On Halloween, I thought for a costume, I would shave and pull my hair back – was planning on putting on a suit too – not my normal look – if there is such a thing. In any event, it is getting to be time to put the beard back – not into the daily shaving routine and my partner likes the less scratchy beard.

So the above is a laptop snapshot – I used it for a model for the finger-painted digital art below

This digital painting – not the way I normally work, was painted using a photo model. Digital art like digital painting could mean a lot of different things. My work starts from a blank page but the field is wide open – it is new and wide reaching in possibilities.

I know many people who might have taken the photo and altered and painted on it in photoshop and quite likely come up with something quite cool. I am in favor of all creativity – but I simply used the image as a model to challenge my abilities to render an image using my fingers as a mouse to paint with – a new challenge for me – and I think a pretty good likeness. But of course I’ve seen myself.

Happy New Year!

Tuesday, January 1st, 2008

Mock Hats Make Great Fun

First Night Sketch – digital sketch – laptop finger painting
12/31/2007 – First Night Monterey – Dan Beck

Last night,

Last Year,

- a small group from Salinas made a showing of some of our art and culture at First Night Monterey – the giant hats you see – were made from foam rubber by some Everett Alvarez High School Students.

From what I understand they dove right in to recreate the Claes Oldenburg sculpture found in Salinas – Hats in Three Stages of Landing. Its current state is loaded with under-rim graffiti – not pictured here – but the kids put the authentic finishing touches on.

The views and interactions with the foam hats were sketched on a laptop with finger painting in- precision – quick and childlike – like the interactions – the scene with young man’s torso covered, kids underneath, photo ops for everyone – dogs – Santa hat – flashing bunny ears – different hats and hair – and a later seen person on stilts added to the scene quickly with this almost cartoon-like feeling.

Pointing the Finger at Myself

Wednesday, December 19th, 2007

Creating Changes Rules

Self Portrait – digital art – finger painting – Dan Beck November 2007

I have not been writing much – rather formulating some next moves – next art – next music projects. Too much of the blogging time, we write just to write – to bring attention to our work or simply share into cyberspace.

Whether I am able or not – my hope from here is to write when it is right – when I have something new to share.

My previous self-portrait done earlier this year was done the way I do most of my work – from my head with some tweaking from visual inspection (when available).

This self portrait – also an exercise – of how well can I paint with my fingers? utilized the camera of my new laptop.

I don’t really like the idea of painting from a photo – seems a step removed to me – but I couldn’t resist the technology. And although it is a perfectly acceptable practice in digital art to paint and alter a photograph – that is not the tact I took here – just used it as a model.

Painting On

Wednesday, December 12th, 2007

continuation of sketch requires deliberation

On Site 1 Plus – digital art – digital painting – Dan Beck 2007

I believe this is the last finished painting – it is a continuation from an on site work which I did a couple of weeks ago. I had seen so much more than I had had time to put into the original 40 minute sketch.

Having said that, I am not sure if this is a method I want to continue or not. There is something quite pure about the original painting – the continuation – with developed texture and depth is certainly more thorough; but I am not sure it adds anything essential to the original fresh sketch.

I handled the paint in a way reminiscent of Bold Glimpse because I have been looking at the piece a great deal and feeling like I had something special there.

Though I do like the finished work above – perhaps it is because I was taking too many directions here – following an on site feeling, developing, and perhaps mimicking while trying to remain fresh and bold at same time.

Outhouse Studios Weblog

Posts Tagged ‘Art’

Double Rooted Nature

seeing for the first time

See Also

Locks & Bagels

where is the hair?

Listen or View

Timing Innovative Music

slow release

Listen or View

Part Art / Part Print

All Play

See Also

Path Not Seen

new format brings on different vision

See Also

Wait and tree

art and project remain remote

See Also

Open and Shutter

digital digits

See Also

Happy New Year!

Mock Hats Make Great Fun

See Also

Pointing the Finger at Myself

Creating Changes Rules

See Also

Painting On

continuation of sketch requires deliberation

See Also

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