What's New

availability for purchase timeline will soon be current

Works from Art Prints starting at $95

From the digital paintings done between 2004 and the end of 2005 - these are definately some of my favorites.

The work done in the last year is visible throughout the blogsite - articles and enlargements can be found by digital image. They are a few weeks away from being set up with purchasing options, but it will happen.

My hope is to be able to offer prints for purchase at the same time of introducing a digital painting online or shortly afterwards.

If you like the work, but haven’t found the piece of your dreams - stay tuned.

See Also

• Digital Painting - Wikipedia, the free encylclopedia
  descriptions change over time - communtity changed understanding - but still useful to grasp possiblities
• IOnOne art | painting
  The blurred line of digital - painting can be altered photography or 3D computer effects - but some good images mixed in
• Art from $95 at Outhouse Studios
  section of catalogue of art prints - good viewing of work - access to all works on sale

Art prints & fields of color more pleasing large as intended

Yellow Field Green Hills - digital painting / art prints - DB 2005

Like most the pieces in the Impressionist Art Gallery, the digital paintings were intended to be printed large - yielding art prints at a minimum size of a 24 x 30" framed print.

Although I don’t see this as one of my all time best, I do find it remarkably pleasing - particularly since it also seems a bit imbalanced in some ways.

The funny thing is that there are certain perspectives where the mountains feel this ludicrously tall and the fields were indeed this yellow.

Nevertheless, the piece is about impression not a snapshot of reality.

See Also

• in a day’s look - a snapshot of reality - www.mytruevision.com
  interesting snapshots of graffiti -and a take I wasn’t expecting on this phrase
• Press Releases - Unversity of Sunderland
  there is a small press release regarding snapshot of reality - but the stories were lots of fun
• Yellow Field Green Hills
  gallery page - enlargement and details - availability and purchasing options for art prints of above digitial painting

current experiment in large art prints made by combining sheets of watercolor paper

Bold Glimpse - Digital Painting/ Art Prints - Dan Beck 2006

I wrote an article about this piece which I don’t think I can improve upon - it was poetic and captured the evening in words enhancing the visual front and center.

Today I bring it up for different reasons. First it remains one of my personal favorites - in some way I feel like this is uniquely me - though undoubtedly there are other pieces which are even more so.

Secondly, I have not as of yet had a reason to have this printed large. It has just become an experiment of printing half a piece on my largest capable size watercolor sheet (13 x19″) - and piecing the two together.

From what I have been able to do so far, I think it might work - gluing will be the key. And I am too sick to glue (a cold). At the very least is will be stupid - but fun. But who knows it may prove to be an economical way of printing larger pieces at Outhouse Studios proper - particularly if they are designed to be done that way.

For availability of art prints for this or any other digital paintings found exclusively on the blogsite, please email: specialorders@outhousestudios.net.

See Also

• The Virtual Couch
  pretty unrelated really - but interesting - I thought “too sick to glue” was pretty funny so I googled it - guess I am too sick to search too hard too
• Crazy Light
  I keep thinking about this piece as one being uniquely me and also having the bold light of the above piece - the connection with the other link is not lost on me either

back to comfort of mouse painting and familiar landscape

Valley Comfort - digital painting / art prints - Dan Beck 2006

When I first started this piece and decided to save and title it (although unfinished), I called it “Mouse Play”. The last two digital paintings I did - I used a pen and tablet instead and found it incredibly awkward (to my surprise) - so this was both a relief and fun to use my normal painting tool.

This was not of any place in particular but is very much anywhere in the Salinas Valley. Although, I did notice yesterday a spot which I have been eyeing for quite some time which has a similar mountain terrain and field structure - half is even plowed up - so perhaps I was unconsciously referencing that spot.

The really dark earth in the center I have never tried to portray before. After discing a field - the soil is turned over into big dark chunks - looks like some kind of moon terrain. I think we see it more now because most of the soil will not be replanted right away - as agriculture is moved to warmer areas for the winter.

For art prints or availability of the above digital painting, please email: specialorders@outhousestudios.net. Setting up auto purchasing options for new pieces is more complicated than time will allow right now.

See Also

• Field 2 Mount
  very pronounced plowed fields - slightly different style - early work - some of same fascination
• Plowed Field
  the corrugated cardboard connection - I really liked this
• Remote Sensing Tutorial Page 19-6
  History and images of man on the moon - the moon terrain connection

experience of the mouse is mightier than the pad

Color Pick - digital pen painting / art prints - Dan Beck 2006

This is my second attempt at using at pen pad for digital painting. The colored sweat shirted pickers I had seen earlier in the day - and I thought I would take on the harder challenge.

I feel very uncoordinated using the new tool - compare:

Harvest Depth - digital painting / art prints - Dan Beck 2006

I actually like some of the looseness of the top piece, but the bottom is fluid and controlled - technically superior.

Who knows what the future holds - I may learn to like the graphics tablet more … or less.

If you are interested in art prints from either of these digital paintings or any others that are on the blogsite, please email:  specialorders@outhousestudios.net.

See Also

• Image Guide 1 to Blogsite
  view other Exclusive to Blogsite images - strawberry pickers - a current common theme
• May 10, 2001-Vol32n31: Capaldi explores preferences for tastes
  how we learn to like foods is quite akin to learning to like a particular tool

more original impression - poles, harvest, and light

Fennel Field & Sky 2 - digital painting / art prints - DB 2006

Above is the final version of this digital painting. The first two should be below. This is more of the scene that I saw the morning that inspired me to do the piece.

I was never sure I wanted to include the fennel harvest, but it was pretty cool that morning. It looked like bulbs were flying everywhere - a fennel frenzy if you will - licorice in the air.

I also tinted the whole piece to give it more of the morning light feeling and to make sure it was different enough. I have been leaning towards keeping the colors brighter these days.

But the tinting does pull the whole piece together in a way that is quite profound. And the telephone poles look like the field was planted right up to them - a wonderful bit of perception.

If you are interested in availability of art prints of this or any other digital paintings on the blogsite, please email: specialorders@outhousestudios.net.

See Also

• Morning Light
  Not particularly close in content - but uses a similar tint technique for bringing about the feeling of morning light
• Bookish Gardener: Fennel Harvest
  doesn’t look like I will find the kind of Fennel Harvest above - but what the heck - related enough for jazz
• Wine of the Week - The Food Files - Fennel Frenzy
  different concept than my Fennel Frenzy - but some useful ideas on how to cook

from memory - amazing to have viewed and convey

Tehachapi - digital painting / art prints - Dan Beck 2005

When I finished this piece and first wrote about it in December, it was not included in any of the galleries on the website.

Like many of the digital paintings written about on the blogsite - purchasing could only be done by emailing a special request - setting up items for sale is a tad cumbersome.

This piece has continued to be a favorite for me - I find it pleasing, vast, and a bit ambiguous as to what is going on … but that is how it was looking out over the mountain. I really couldn’t completely comprehend what I was seeing and yet it looked amazing.

This is impressionistic not just in style - but in that it was created from an impression from memory - at least a week after viewing and without photographic help.

See Also

• Tehachapi
  availability of art prints from above digital painting
• Tehachapi
  someone’s photo gallery - includes a number of shots which seem to reinforce my impression

jazz and art - timing of MJF and the timeliness of music and art

This isn’t really my genre - in that I’ve only done four digital paintings which show elements of instruments, playing, and the energy of jazz.

I feel qualified to paint on such a subject - I love to improvise - musically as well as artistically.

Improvising is the stuff of creativity - it is the heart of being a creative being. We use it when we converse, when we write, when we communicate in any fashion - because how else would we convey the world which is uniquely our own perspective.

So the article I saw today - pointed out the Monterey Jazz Festival starts tomorrow. Whether I end up catching any of it or not - (yes I too can let life get in the way) it is a pretty exciting event - with a huge range of performers and music over three days.

See Also

• Monterey Jazz Festival 2006
  Special information from the Monterey Coast Weekly
• Jazz 2: Exploring the Art Music Connection
  An article from last fall - that I feel I remembered as being to the point
• Listen to Music at Outhouse Studios
  Jazz influenced but I wouldn’t call it jazz despite the improvisation

connections to 9/11, and how seeing only the small picture is misleading

Looking at the small picture (thumbnail) of any of these digital paintings above, practically lies about the artwork. Together stacked up they are even more confusing and even a bit ugly.

It is the fifth anniversary of 9/11, a perpetuated climate of fear, and a day of grief and remembrance.

There are no poignant words to help someone grieve - there are no surefire steps to help someone move on.

What I can offer today -is a piece of my own grieving process - a song I wrote in the spring of ‘03 - having gone through divorce, my mother’s death and on the eve of having to put my dog Max down. He was with me when I wrote the song, but already gone when I created this image of him for the original Outhouse Studios logo.

There is an additional connection to 9/11 - which is that I finished mastering the song "Has Life Turned a Corner?" on 9/11 the following year for the About Time CD. 

I believe it to be emotionally accurate.

See Also

• Has Life Turned A Corner? from “About Time” CD
  First time in my life I ever really had thought the past might be a better place to be living than the present - how I have dealt with grief - words, music, performance by Dan Beck
• Original Art-chives
  above images are all found there - archived partially because their thumbnails show such a misrepresented image
• 9/11 was a Hoax: The American government killed its own people
  stumbled upon this article - I personally don’t understand evil - and haven’t studied 9/11 enough to recognize what is true or not - but I have seen money and power corrupt - who knows?

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