Times Square Canyon – digital art – Dan Beck 2008

Visiting the East Coast this week …

I had been asked a couple of years ago to do a digital painting of Times Square – I thought about it – even googled some images but knew I hadn’t been there in so many years I couldn’t do it justice.

In general I like to work from my own impression and feeling of a place and then use the language and vocabulary of the digital medium which is at my disposal.

In this case, it is using the mouse pad and finger painting in an abstract manner to capture the feeling and enormity of the show of technology ads and bright lights of the city at night. In particular – looking up Broadway in what feels like a canyon of buildings and lights – jagged, beautiful, and bustling with moving lights and people.

It is a couple of days (or a couple of years) later – but this is also sometimes my custom…

See Also

• Digital Art – what does it mean – and the outhouse studios interpretation
• Other Artists’ Takes – some New York artists’ impressions of Times Square

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.

See Also

• Treework – first tree image with digital medium – still strong – but certainly not as developed with the medium. Innocence is worth noting
• Moment of Unveiling – a strange link to be sure – but google keeps getting more interesting in its results – part of a book by Nietzsche – one of my favorite (though unfortunately misunderstood) philosophers
• Opening New Doors – not so related but an interesting read and another link between art and life

Field Fitting – digital painting / art prints – Dan Beck 2006

I don’t know if one can tell by looking, but this was a challenge for the eyes to make. A lot of the piece was done by filling in lines – not like conventional painting but with the unique tools of the computer – yet really focusing on getting in between.

I am particularly partial to this digital painting – I think the composition is compelling – one feels like one is at the end of the precipice. The fields undulate – the colors are more real than real – and there is this wonderful awkward imbalance of the man positioning the irrigation pipes and trying to harness nature.

Perhaps I read too much – but then again – I think it speaks strongly about my own vision and style.

See Also

Field Fitting – art print options and availability for above digital painting

Understand Your Subtle System – completely unrelated and particularly foreign to me – but quite interesting – searching the term: awkward imbalance

Boat on an Ocean – digital panting / art prints – 2000 – Dan Beck

Not sure how this will format, which is part of the reason for choosing this digital painting today.

This piece feels like a very long time ago – a different life time. It was an image out of my mind – and from another mixed media piece.

I just wanted to see how the sea might look using the digital medium. You may or may not notice, but every section of color is outlined in this piece. At the time I created this piece, I did not know how to control the thickness of the line, let alone the color, or how to have no line at all.

But that was not why I said it was a world ago.

See Also

• Boat on an Ocean – art print options and availability for digital painting Boat-on-an-Ocean

• SeaFogged – a look at a more recent take on the ocean albeit a much calmer one.

• WetCanvas: ArtSchool Online: Digital Art: Digital Painting for the Beginner: L5 – come across this a few times – and thought what a different approach. Results aside, it is interesting how many different ways there are to paint let alone create.

Quick Study 0 – digital painting – Dan Beck 2007

Thought I would break the ice with this new blog category by sharing the precursor to the last digital painting I was able to blog about. I got to the point above and thought the piece might be complete.

Declaring a piece finished is no different for the digital medium than any other – but I have found that with digital art, I can create and save a number of different endings.

What struck me about the above stopping point was how pleasing the textures looked and how balanced in the degree it was worked.

The rawness reminds me of a woodblock print or a monoprint. And though I wasn’t done, I like the way this piece looks and feels – enough so to save and share.

See Also

• Beach Today – piece I am reminded of with a somewhat similar feel
• Major Genres: Beauties, Actors, and Landscapes – The Floating World of Ukiyo-e (Library of Congress) – a website filled with examples of woodblock prints
• Feast from the East – a recent review on show which included woodblock prints – two examples

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

Early Stages of Mound 2 Mountains – before and after fill-in

I am not opposed to taking some of the shortcuts which painting on a computer allows. The difference between the left image and the right image is a click of a button.

It also required some palette development which has taken quite some time – and some experimentation to be sure that the fill color was the right choice.

If you look on the right hand side of either image, you will notice a crease in the mountains. Though it is not my main method of working, I do occasionally like to copy a section of a piece and paste it in the right location. It can create depth and a look that would take three times as long if every aspect of a piece were completely from scratch.

This is the digital medium and this is one of the reasons I find digital painting (and its accompanying art prints) as fun as I do.

See Also

• Digital painting – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  simple explanation of some of the digital differences
• About the Process and Digital Painting
  Part of About & Contact at Outhouse Studios
• SITO Artchive: ‘Horn Painting a Computer’ by Chris Horn
  Yep – here it is painting on computer!

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

Field Flat – digital painting / art prints – Dan Beck 2006

I really like the colors in this piece. I like them on the monitor and even more printed with archival ink on watercolor paper.  But as I have said, that is the nature of this medium.

The work has the light quality viewed on a monitor and is actually closer to viewing the original canvas than any other medium, but it doesn’t really look finished until printed.

It may well be our bias for paper or canvas – but I think that one just needs that solidity to really pull it together.

Despite that I am happy to share my work over the internet.  Like everybody’s art, it generally can’t do it justice – but it is still wonderful to be able to see so much.

If you are interested in owning a printed version, please email: specialorders@outhousestudios.net.

See Also

• Art and the Web
  Introductory discussion of pros and cons of art on the web
• Figures Art Gallery
  place of some similar work on website proper
• Image Guide to Blogsite Exclusive Images
  more recent work – more similar pieces

Rain Over Fall – digital painting / art prints – Dan Beck 1999

This is a piece from my personal archives – it is was one of my earlier explorations with the medium.

I like this piece conceptually as well as aesthetically. There is little form.  Mostly color expresses the concept of autumn rain and autumn leaves.

I would estimate that I created this piece in about an hour or so. Most of the digital paintings I do now take closer to four or five hours.

The time spent doesn’t necessarily make a piece better. But it does indicate that I have developed a larger vocabulary with the digital medium and can therefore say more.

The thing that most people don’t take into consideration when judging how long something took to make – is how many hours of work it took to get to the point to make that piece.

There is nothing wrong with judging a work of art by its complexity – but I think it is a shame when people miss out on appreciation because of a conceptual framework.

See Also

• Original Art-chives – Outhouse Studios
  where most similar work to this piece can be found
• Contemporay Art: No Joke
  This discussion cracks me up – no one even considered that the sculpture base might be really something Sadly – hard work doesn’t always make something good.
• Nat King Cole | Autumn Leaves Lyrics
  If you can’t or don’t download the music – try the lyrics