More Remote Tree – digital painting for original prints – Dan Beck 2008

When I have painted this tree in the past – it has always been by memory and impression – this is no exception – the seasons have been changing – grasses growing and leaf base is quite a bit stronger.

To me the work has an impressionistic feeling with a rather clear digital component – even if the medium is intended to take a back seat to the content of the painting.

Observing the changing tree over time makes for an interesting group of work – or at least an interesting puzzle and interesting in that each one so far has been created without referencing the previous versions until after completion.

Limits are good – my rules are to not intervene with photos and not try to block my own understanding – hoping to impart the feeling which has prompted the painting in the first place.

See Also

• Original Prints – discussion of digital painting and original nature of prints at Outhouse Studios
  
• An Artist Needs Limits – discussion of the importance of limits for the creative process

Morning Light – digital painting – original prints – Dan Beck 2005

Did my quick image roulette thing and found this work of original representation and original art.

The slabs of concrete looking things are to represent the unsightly mall in between my view and the mountains. I frequently, like a many artist, have selective vision … and here again I did as well – choosing this representation.

At the time, I liked it conceptually – thought it kind of fun – but never did more – an indicator in itself.

Love the clouds and sky – the mountains are cool – but it never made it into my real favorites – nevertheless, it is original on many levels and documents the creative process and my own progression as an artist.

Original Prints have been made available for this digital painting and all others in the Figures Art Gallery.

See Also

• Figures Art Gallery – view other works of similar time period and similar themes available for purchase
• Selective Vision: The Brain’s Spin Machine Starts Early: Sciam Observations – liked this article because it is so much about the link between perception and understanding
• Photography Composition Articles: The Magic Of Selective Vision – Photo Composition – liked this article as well for its more conventional look at selective vision – but I of course take exception to photography being more difficult than art – better not to go there if one can help it

Three Way Figure 2 – original digital painting -Dan Beck 2007

Don’t know if I left anyone in suspence or not – but here is the second of three digital paintings – done together with divergent paths.

When I started the piece I started with the background – and got to a point where it needed some additional color – I filled using different gradients but liked three choices and decided this time not to decide.

Putting off the decision and taking three different paths simultaneously was a fun way of working – an excercise I may or may not repeat. But it doesn’t matter – what is important is the exploration of different ways of working – different ways of keeping things fresh – and in my case different ways of creating original digital paintings and accompanying original art and original prints.

As I keep saying original art has multiple meanings – I see my art as a way to push our understanding.

See Also

• Figures Art Gallery – a good place to explore for similar work to above – each one original
• What Is A Print? – a basic on understanding the originality of prints – traditional methods discussed here only – but still aids in understanding meanings of original
• Meaningful Work: 10 ways to recover a sense of calling – this was not what I meant by different ways of working – but it is a good way of looking at oneself and is quite akin to the creative process. I like to pass on pertinent though sometimes marginally related links I discover which add to the content of my own article

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.

digital play – trying to portray "What’s new?"

I read an article today about prisoners who in their need for creativity and having no art supplies used coffee, fruit, chocolate etc to impart color – in some cases using their own hair to create a brush.

I have always felt that necessity is a great part of the creative process – improvising, making do, finding another way. Creativity is about problem solving.

For most of us, we have to create some of our own limits to emulate this kind of creativity.  On the other hand – without any exposure like many growing up these days – there aren’t enough crayons for kids to even plant the creative seed.

See Also

• Hair, fruit used by prisoners to create art at Lincoln Center
  about the creation of the art, the artists, and where it is displayed
• Catalogue of art print and cd availability at Outhouse Studios
  above art was created for heading “What’s new!” – it may not stay – but it felt new to me at the time
• The Power of Emotions
  This is the quote which made this feel pertinent:”Emotions Are The “Creative Seed” That Determine Your Experiences In Your Day To Day Life” -Chuck Danes – don’t know the author – read some of site – much seems true – but more interesting that I see this connected – attitude and creativity are also connected

Mound 2 Mountain – screen shot digital painting in progress -

This is a detail of digital painting Mound 2 Mountain before it was finished, but not by much. In fact, I ended up changing the title after I was finished – the working title is above.

I hear they do that with movies sometimes – though it isn’t my normal practice – more bother than it is worth.

I do think this gives a bit more insight into how the piece looks close up and particularly when I am painting a section.

There is no great insight here – just sharing how this stage of the creative process looks.

See Also

• Impressionist Art Gallery
  a place of some similar works
• Working title – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  explaining the term I used to explain the different title for the same piece
• Working Title Films
  I didn’t explore this site much – but my hunch it is to give the low down on new films before they have totally hatched

Beach Today – digital painting / art prints – Dan Beck 2003

I wrote about this piece in July. One of the things I like about the new Blog Guide by Images is that I can keep track. If I do choose to write about the same digital painting again, I can be sure to write from a different angle.

Today I am writing because I was lucky enough to be at the beach yesterday. And today, I clicked on the gallery chance button which landed me in the Landscape Art Galley – clicked on the image roulette button which took me to this painting.

While I was looking at the water and sand yesterday, I was thinking how conducive the digital medium is for portraying the beach and the layers where the water has washed.

I was also thinking that I had not done that many pieces of the beach and well…

I better go more often.

See Also

• Magda Wojtyra digital art creative process – Mackerel
  Not that related – but holy mackerel – had to share this link – this is what you can find – searching for “digital art water sand”
• Sea Fogged
  more sophisticated use of medium – demonstrating a fine illusion
• Beach Today
  availability of art prints for above digital painting

In my mind the three images above of digital paintings were created around the same time. Whether it is true or not, I am not going to research.

Promoting the Creative World is about observations particularly in regards to the creative process, but it is also observations about viewing and processing life. How could it not be?

Associations are more real than the way things happened. Our memories and how we categorize what we have experienced take on a life of their own – truth is they become our reality unless they are shattered. And many folks won’t budge from their reality even when confronted with facts.

There is no critique here; but just like "hindsight is 20/20" and "the older we get, the better we were" so much of what we perceive is wrapped up in our own perspective of the world – worth mentioning I think.

See Also

• Landscape Art Gallery
  where above pieces can all be found
• Hindsight Perspective
  How film and literature changes with plot information – further insight into how informed we are when we already know

Beyond the Mirrored Veil – digital painting – Dan Beck 2005

Lucky me, I took a vacation. I didn’t paint, didn’t blog – just toured and visited. Back – I’ve found it very difficult to begin any sort of routine and therefore decided to write a song – about what I learned on my trip.

I am not sure I learned much that is new, but I did observe a number of people I know holding on to hurt, holding on to grudges, holding on to the past. I am illustrating, if you will, with a painting of different dimension, but the closest I have to this subject.

It is easy to resist change and difficult to let go – I am a firm believer that the creative process can help us to do so.

See Also

• Beyond the Mirrored Veil
  availability of art prints for above work
• COPE visitor page – Don’t Hold a Grudge
  well written document on what happens when we hold a grudge
• Article on holding on to grudges
  Take your hand off the hot stove – quick read and good analogy

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

Just like the creative process itself, there are no rules when it comes to writing about a piece again.

The digital painting itself was about no rules. The hills and the dirt were both created using a lot of cutting and pasting – taking sections already created and twisting and turning them to create the undulations that you see in the work.

It is not my normal way of painting – but I wanted that kind of energy and in some ways I was trying to emulate the success of a previous piece.

I love the yellow and orange sky – I don’t know where it came from – but it creates a feeling I would never have gotten if I chose to be more literal.

The digital painting required working at different levels – in order to create the figures, the digital image was zoomed in close to 400% – and it was also zoomed out to make sure it was a balanced composition.

See Also

• Valley Work
  availability of art prints for Valley Work
• Rules Art Quotations from The Painter’s Keys Resource of Art Quotations
  quotes of all sorts – rules and no rules
• No rules. Just write.: Is it still good art if nobody likes it?
  Comentary on NY Times article – but right in pointing out selling and good are not necessarily the same