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painting the feeling of perception

Pinnacles 1 - digital art | digital painting - Dan Beck 2008

A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of seeing the Pinnacles up close - I have only gone once, only done the one digital painting - and did it in my normal fashion - based the piece on some of the views I saw which left an impression - combined them a little - but mostly painted from the impression they left upon me.

I painted it that afternoon, the images were fresh in my inner view.

The color of the sky - though not remotely real to the day - somehow helped to convey the feeling that these incredible rock formations had on me. The different depths - the incredible tone of colors and the massiveness probably can’t be conveyed in photo or painting, but my intent has always been to capture something more intangible.

It usually works for me - but I am triggering my own memory and I couldn’t possibly know how it reads to someone never having experienced something similar.

See Also

• Digital Art - discussion of the broad meanings of the term and the process at Outhouse Studios
• Impressionist Art Gallery - other works based on glimpse, visual memory, understanding - plus discussion of impressionist art
• Pinnacles National Monument - U.S. Parks service site with most information on this incredible rock formation

changing views

Nestling Grape Rows - digital painting / original prints - Dan Beck - 2005

As with many paintings, my feeling about this piece originally is not the same as it has come to be. Often one is either more ecstatic about the results or even more humdrum about the results.

It is a very clear to me the importance of audience and artistic climate. When one of my original prints is well received by other artists, other viewers - it is not difficult to change my view on the work.

When a piece is not well received; what was successful may remain - but it is more difficult to hang on to. In the digital painting above, I liked the 3 dimensionality in particular, the texture, and the way the composition itself tends to push the grapes and mountains together.

The subject matter has been tackled by me and will be again - but the strength in this particular interpretation has the uniqueness we tend to look for in original art.

See Also

• Impressionist Art Gallery - gallery the above digital painting is found in and a good glimpse of works from a glimpse
• Andorra & France - someone’s trip to France - had a really nice photo of grapes (as much in the mountains or more) than my rendition - and the rest is just a recording - I assume for friends and family - which I am neither - but what a wonderful trip they seemed to have had
• Photos - same kind of thing - snapshots of a trip from someone I don’t know - but the photo of grapes in the mountains near Exeter, CA and the two countryside photos of Lindsay are worth looking at - and maybe more just to get a sense of the area

picking the moment to share

Glowing Sky - digital painting / art prints - Dan Beck 2005

I just finished a painting with a sunset - but am not ready to share it on the internet - haven’t even printed it for myself yet. But I had a quick opportunity to write and I thought of this digital painting.

I love the colors of this piece - the angles - the glow of the clouds and sky - the way the mountains almost float themselves - begging the question are the clouds moving or the mountains or is everything still?

This is an incredibly fragile moment as anyone and everyone who has ever seen a sunset can attest. Deciding the moment and look I wanted to capture that evening was probably as much of a challenge as painting.

I don’t paint from photos - nothing adamant here - just don’t want to - it is about capturing the memory - capturing the impression the particular moment leaves - and giving that impression back.

As always (and forgive me here), I hope I have not given the wrong impression.

See Also

• Glowing Sky - current purchasing options for original art prints of above digital painting
• Impressionist Art Gallery - see other images from Dan Beck and Outhouse Studios and information about impressionism
• Claude Monet’s Impression Sunrise - this was the first art related site I could find on Google - looking up simply “impression” but turns out to be kind of fun adjusting the brightness of the sun on Monet’s work