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capturing the blues and browns - the hurdles of painting after a break

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

This is my first painting in quite some time - a few weeks anyway. It is fascinating how the urge to create works.

On the one hand, one feels a kind of craving than is difficult to describe - but then for lack of practice - it feels enormous just to get started.

Deciding what to paint or what size - all these things seem big. Being creative like most things is about striking a balance - being relaxed enough to not care about mistakes - but still be able to create with the importance a piece deserves.

To create this digital painting, I drew from things I have been seeing over the last few weeks.  Today, it is not the piece I thought it was yesterday - but it has captured the blues and browns of winter in the Salinas Valley.

See Also

• Mistakes Art Quotations - The Painter’s Keys Resource of Art Quotations
  Many quotes about mistakes - but much agreement
• Winter Colors
  Art print options for above digital painting

Relevant Tags:Art Prints, balance, being creative, digital painting, mistakes, prints, Salinas Valley, what to paint, winter colors

 

creative process, making things one own

New notifications image

Well … this is not an example of fine art - rather a quick piece of play to replace a stock image for the Outhouse Studios shopping cart.

I am sure whoever created them meant well - they aren’t all bad - in fact, I left a couple a bit enlarged - and altered a few others.

Like most creative folks, I don’t like to just leave things alone. I like to make adjustments, I like to leave my mark, I like the process of getting something to look and feel right.

The above digital piece was fun … and that of course is a big part of being creative and why it is such a big thing.

See Also

• Digital Fun
  a different kind of fun no doubt - but right name for this kind of creativity
• New All Works on Sale Page
  beginning of the new catalogue - soon to house blog works too.

Relevant Tags:being creative, creative process, digital art, digital fun, digital painting, digital piece

 

implementing one’s style - being open to what’s not

Quick digital image - for Forgotten Password

Being creative is both about being controlling and being accepting. It is an interesting mix. For there are many times when accepting the seemingly accidental is the best move.

The creative person by necessity makes his mark on the world by communicating his or her perspective.

In the process of rebuilding the shopping cart database for my website, I have felt the obligation not just to get it working but also to make the stock images be unique.

There are things I need to let be - because of time considerations - but I find myself changing most everything - even if it is quickly.

I just can’t help it - who wants to be the same?

See Also

• Quick-draw
  another quick image - a little more artsy perhaps
• NLP, OODA, Creativity, Mastery, And Other Magical Stuff - Sketchpad
  Image of “making mark on world” is how this applies - but rather fun blog
• It?s time to make your mark on the world…
  it’s the saying - clever advertising - not advocating the advertisment though

Relevant Tags:being creative, being open, control, creative, digital image, implementing, mark on the world

 

creatively interpret events, views, and life

Irrigation Bend - digital painting / art prints - Dan Beck 2005

Being creative is not just about creating things.

In many cases, it is about creating meaning - or finding meaning - not exactly the same things - but either way about creatively interpreting the world.

Today this piece came up partly by clicking the roulette button(chance?) and partly by my being in the figures gallery. It was also displayed a year ago with the piece I wrote about earlier today.

I was surprised to see I had not written about this. It is a strong piece - it also was the first time I had really observed workers wet adjusting the irrigation spray.

Another important connection to this piece is the the last digital painting I did was called “Irrigation Man” and utilizes the same theme but in a more iconic fashion.

Nevertheless, I think it is the first time since the above piece I have painted anything resembling this theme.

The hills, the bend in the road, the stripes of color and texture, and the sky all conspire to make this a really wonderful piece - also much more enhanced when viewed large.

See Also

• Irrigation Bend
  gallery page - enlargement /details - art print options for digital painting
• Two Part Prints
  Look at recent work with similar theme from last year and above
• Creativity, Creative Strategies and the Critical Counter Culture of the 90’s
  Definately more of an intellectual study than I am into these days, but some interesting things brought up - creative do’s and don’ts are a little scary though

Relevant Tags:Art Prints, being creative, composition, creating meaning, creatively interpret, creatively interpreting, Dan Beck, digital painting, figures gallery, prints

 

Classical Music & Web Design for Monterey Bay Symphony

Monterey Bay Symphony - Concert and Logo Overlap

Sometimes being creative is about other people. Playing classical music is an example of that type of creativity. The music is someone else’s, but tone and interpretation lie in the hands of the musicians and conductor.

My diversion today is because I just completed a website for MBS.  They are a non-profit organization and my work was a gift because I am grateful to have an orchestra in our area that plays free concerts open to everyone.

The website is missing a couple of key informational things at this point - but the format, look, and navigation is what I brought to the table.

I am particularly pleased with using their logo for the navigation system - hopefully others will want to click it as much as it makes me want to.

Creativity being about other people applies to web design too - for it is someone else’s words, images, and intent that one is being creative about getting across.

See Also

• Monterey Bay Symphony
  newly (outhouses studios designed) website for area symphony
• Salinas Californian
  information about recent free to all public concert
• Music at Outhouse Studios
  protocol says I must link to own site - there are classical influences in own music

Relevant Tags:being creative, classical music, creativity, interpretation, Monterey Bay Symphony, web design

 

appreciating the place of inspiration along with results

2 the Beach - digital painting / art prints - Dan Beck 2003

I said recently that I find myself balancing between creating new works and appreciating others - being creative means also being an audience and particularly an observer.

The piece above was painted after going to the Salinas River State Beach.  It is the closest beach to where I live, but it also it quite a nice stretch of beach with people on horseback.  At the time of this painting, it was also a great place to take one’s dog.

I can’t locate any photos online of the entrance to the beach - but the fun thing for me - was that this abstract take on the landscape around the wooden walkway - somehow captured the location.  Two people I know, who were familiar with the beach - recognized it immediately from a 4 by 6 inch art print.

When you walk to this point - and spy the ocean - your whole being goes "aaahh"…

See Also

• 2 the Beach
  availablilty of art print options for 2theBeach
• Salinas River National Refuge Map
  good photos and overview of the Salinas River State Beach

Relevant Tags:abstract landscape, art print, Art Prints, being creative, creating, digital painting, Salinas River State Beach

 

carving out time, taking on challenges, and balancing with known success

Sunset Seen - digital painting /art prints - Dan Beck 2005

I was thinking about one of the aspects of being creative which doesn’t get talked about much - discipline. I have talked about needing structure to be free in - but discipline is something different. Many even feel that discipline and being creative are rather opposite.

As for me, I think that one needs to be disciplined first off in just doing one’s art. I am not the first to say that if you want to write - you need to sit down and write. Writing music, creating art, etc. are the same way. One just can’t be creative unless one blocks off the time to do so.

Perhaps this is a bit obvious, but discipline can be found in other ways too - because every creative experience can take the easy way or one which is challenging with potential pitfalls and unknown solutions.

Part of being disciplined is taking enough challenges to keep the skills and work growing but knowing how to balance that with known paths of success.

See Also

• Sunset Seen
  Availability of Art Prints for Sunset Seen
• Balancing creativity discipline in life
  Interesting article about balance and Chinese and American cultures
• Creativity, Discipline or Willingness - by Barbara Bowen
  I think this is an article for creative people who hate the term discipline

Relevant Tags:Art Prints, balance, being creative, challenges, creative experience, creativity, creativity and discipline, digital painting

 

images of significance - digital painting references development

Treework - digital painting - Dan Beck circa 1999

Earlier I wrote that I try to strike the balance between create and created, artist and audience.

Earlier I had written a complete article about the significance of trees for me - pointing out how there were three in the art-chives where the above digital painting is housed on my site … about how trees were so significant because they were one of the first things I could draw which looked representative of what it was and also be interesting.

I also wrote about family trees and branching out and having established roots - how trees are such a fine metaphor… and even the Wizard of Oz - where trees talk and pitch - wonderful.

A tree was also the image for the CD cover of my previous album: About Time - showing the concept and passing of time in an image itself.

But that was earlier - and that entire article was lost - and that is also part of being creative - making the best of bad circumstances -

earlier I might have even agreed with that.

See Also

• Treework
  availability of art prints for above digital painting
• Textured Tree
  another tree - first with texture - please click “enlarge” to see adequately
• Tree Rings Record Annual Growth
  Mostly things we all know - but some perhaps not - pretty amazing nevertheless

Relevant Tags:artistic development, being creative, CD cover, development, digital painting, trees

 

Fear is universal - the way through it, is not

Fielding - digital painting -2005

This is the last of of a ten part series. The entire ten points (without further explanation) are available as a "free download" at outhousestudios.net.

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Acknowledge fear and ignore it.  

• Fear may come on many different levels -
• fear of uncovering something you don’t want to see;
• fear of having your work seen, heard or read and not received well;
• fear of producing something really exceptional.

Who cares? - just do it - it will be fine.

Easier said than done, but then again the fear is almost always much worse than the task or event we are dreading - I know I am not the only one who has experienced this.

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This is both the most amusing and perhaps least useful of the ten points. Fear is irrational - it is not logic or saying so that gets us beyond it. We find our way through it in our own way.

The above art piece was chosen because - I remember when I created it - I was a little afraid of ruining a good piece by adding figures - not a lot - but I remember being tentative at first.

See Also

• Figures Art Gallery
  Gallery with related work in it
• Overcoming Fear, Uncertainty & Doubt
  Practical suggestions for overcoming obstacles
• The Rebel Yell: Article: Homelessness major problem in U.S
  Correct Assertions or Not - Fear is real of fellow man

Relevant Tags:art piece, being creative, digital painting, fear, overcoming fear, tentative

 

Be accepting - regardless of results

Hills, Fields, & Sunset - unshared digital painting - 2006

Be accepting of finished or unfinished piece - it is a microcosm of the world you inhabit - no matter what it reflects, it is part of you and is illuminating.

One never likes everything one creates and even if one did, it would not be with equal admiration. The key here is to accept the whole gamut of one’s work - not necessarily show it all , but not quickly discard because you see a flaw.

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t see ways in which even the best of pieces could be better, but it is an advantage to be comfortable enough to get beyond one’s own prejudices.

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I am sharing the above work - because it just never seemed that great to me. I was done - didn’t want to work on it anymore, but never quite felt like I pulled off what I wanted.

I probably should have dug down deeper - but this is the most recent ho-hum work. Having said that - I guess I walk the talk - cause I rather like the piece today.

In any event, the rest of this series - at least the points can be downloaded at outhousestudios.net - free downloads.

See Also

• Origianl Art-chives
  There are many gems in the archived works
• Gamut - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  Had forgotten about the color angle of gamut - when I chose the word
• Only a third of employees ‘walk the talk’
  Related by the phrase - but worth noting

Relevant Tags:be accepting, being creative, creative process, digital painting, gamut, illuminating artwork, walk the talk