Sky Over Mountains – Dan Beck 2007 – Pigment Print on title wall of current exhibition

Opening Reception – tomorrow – Saturday June 27, 2009 2 – 4pm

MEDIUM : RARE Exhibition will remain up into the second week in August.

Below is an excerpt from my “Artist Statement”

My preference is for people to not focus as much on how I create art, as how the art appeals to them or affects them.  In most cases, the subject matter was chosen because my experience of a place has left me with such a strong impression.  I clue in on a few particular aspects of what I am seeing and try to articulate those aspects in a way that translates a feeling and invites further exploration.

The process of creating art using the tools of digital painting is important in a different way. It reveals much of what excites me about art. The computer allows me to overlap translucent gradients of color, and paint in a way I could never have conceived of using conventional painting methods.  I can manipulate and change my paintings in ways that continue to remain magical. The language of art is unchanged, but the tools I am using to create it require the time period we are living in.

For me, creating art needs to be fun and meditative – it also requires problem solving and experimentation to make something look the way it is supposed to look. I am always trying to push my abilities and develop new ways of working.  I firmly believe there are many ways to get to the right place – and similarly, many meanings are richer than just one.

See Also

• Blackstone Winery – it is a beautiful gallery space with enough room for 30 plus paintings in the main gallery – not mentioned on their website – but they deserve credit for continuing to utilize the space with regularly changing high quality exhibits.

Toro Inspired – digital art painting – Dan Beck 2009

The artwork is inspired by Mount Toro – a part of the Santa Lucia Mountains – still Salinas.  There is a particular area I am thinking of in doing this painting, but it is not so particularly literal – what else is new.

Actually – where I find myself today is working on a major website redo – but being more overwhelmed by the prospect than being able to get on with the doing. There is no substitute for just doing – but it is a daunting task to simplify that which has gotten too big to manage.

Since I am painting instead of website building – and blogging instead – the piece undoubtedly reflects this state. If I could take the same approach as I do with art – I will get it done – but I am less inspired by website design than by the beauty that surrounds me – so I do art and hope that the next days will find it easier to get more done in the process.

On the bright side, I have been wanting to paint this area for quite some time – with or without cows – wasn’t sure – but today it felt like it needed a few cows – a digital challenge for a mouse freehander like myself.

See Also

• Taking on the View – Article and only other painting with cows – this one taking from the foothills of the othe mountain chain that creates the Salinas Valley
• Original Art – how can something reproducible be considered original – what does it even mean?

Spring Start – digital painting for art prints – Dan Beck 2009

In the Salinas Valley – if feels like spring starts in February – which is when this piece was created.  The crops are spottily coming in and the hills and mountains are beginning to show green.  As seen above, the dirt is still the most prevalent feature to the landscape, but the colors are becoming rich.  And though the change from winter to spring is much less clear than in most other parts of the country, it is nevertheless, a noticeable change and a welcome feeling.

If you are not from around here, you might not recognize the irrigation in the background – but this is the way it looks from a distance.  Many liberties taken with the emerging rows of young lettuce – but as I have written too many times – it is more about the feeling than the literalness.

I rely on no camera – just the lasting impression from what I spied.  Like the beginning of Spring – this is a first for me… a new article with a standard wordpress blog – instead of the customized version I had grown accustomed to – but had neglected. With the new standard blog – I have subscribers – but I don’t know what that means – perhaps one of you can explain it with a comment.  Are you informed when I post?

See Also

• Original Art – discussion of what it means and how it pertains to digital painting and its prints

Hill Mountains – digital art -> original prints – Dan Beck – 2003

I was surprised to find out I had only written once about this piece. For a long time, it was my favorite.

Like most people, I want and expect things to happen faster than they really do. It is rare for things to happen quickly; yet as an artist we frequently value the quicker produced pieces because of the inspiration. When something happens easily we feel like it must have been the right thing – perhaps even divine.

And usually when something happens easily and feels right, it is right. On the other hand, when we see the evidence of the time, discipline, developed technique all thrown into a work of art – we can not help but appreciate the dedication and the pursuit of a long term goal.

Digital art is confusing in this regard, because one can’t often tell the degree of time commitment, just the finished result.

See Also

• Hill Mountains – availability of original art prints for above digital painting
• Opening Your Intuition – Personal Power Through Awareness: A … – Google Book Search – I must say part of this links inclusion is that this pertinent section of a “book” came available as a result of a search – never seen this before.

Checkerboard Day – unfinished digital painting

If I work this direction – meaning create a landscape and then add figures, I generally save the painting before moving on.

I like the piece where it is above – the checkerboard of light and dark and the clouds are strong enough to carry the painting. Plus the hills have the warmth and at least my eye is pulled in enough to want to move around in the composition.

But frequently, the case with art is about solving a problem or carrying out something one has conceived. I always think there should be some give and take with the painting itself as it is created. But I also think it is important to at least try to say what one intends (a take on Original Art – I had not thought of before).

The checkerboard mountains and the two irrigation workers hoisting their pipes in unison were witnessed on the same day – and the connection made sense to me when I saw them and created the finished original digital painting.

See Also

• Original Prints – catalog of prints starting at $95 – some of my favorites – many current paintings are on hold as far as prints being set up for easy purchase – email if determined – changes are coming
• The Art of Problem Solving – good tips here – concise and clear – even if my take is more about art honing such skills
• The Art of Complex Problem Solving – I think this may actually be about “the Art” – as it is the changing views as one rolls over with the mouse that makes me appreciate this – the puzzle about puzzle solving is more complex than I have patience for at the moment – but a nice complex diagram nevertheless

Checkerboard Day 1 – digital painting – Dan Beck 2007

There is a light which happens on the Gabilan Mountains sometimes – where the shadows from the clouds above leave a checkerboard pattern of light and dark visible from all over.

Unusually, the clouds were very mixed checked black and white themselves.

On the same day – later on, I noticed two field workers – hoisting pipes in unison. Though not choreographed, it seemed like it could have been.

I am not sure why I tied the two together – it could have been two different digital paintings – but I think I saw a connection between checkers pieces and the two workers in sync or maybe I am adding meaning after the fact.

There is more movement, more dance, more transparency; but I only saw a glimpse as a passing motorist.

See Also

• Original Prints – though I have not made the art prints for this new digital painting available for easy purchase yet – please familiarize yourself

• Photo Essay – searching the checkerboard landscape of images on the web – yielded this fascinating glimpse of history

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

Foothills Anywhere – digital painting – Dan Beck 2007

Some pieces of original art feel more serious than others – more in a tradition of fine art than colorful poster art or illustration, cartoon, or folk art.

Just as my music has influences of jazz, rock, folk, blues, and classical – my visual art tends to have more than one influence.

Even though the above digital painting is intensely colorful and painted in a quick bold fashion, it is more serious. There is an intentionality of communicating a feeling and mood which is not always there with an abstract piece or a more fantastical piece.

I have been working on other types of art and creativity and this still feels like my most recent work – original prints are not yet available.

See Also

• More Warm Hills – a piece I am reminded of – translating the hug-able quality of the hills and a similar type of 3 dimensionality
• Fine art – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia – for lack of a better place to refer – this offers many a category of distinction – though the point is all categories overlap

My Series 6 – digital painting / art prints – Dan Beck 2005

We are unique in many ways – but one of the things which clearly makes us different is the movement which each of us finds comfortable. As I look at this piece which is original art – yet number six in a series; I am struck by the distinct shapes which fill the space.

They are my movements using a mouse – they are flowing, comfortable strokes which yield this cross colored digital painting which hints at mountains and clouds, but never quite gets there.

It was meant to be on the cusp – that place that totters in between abstract and representational. It was meant to be done fast and with some abandon. It attempted to have the spontaneity of the first in the series. Everything follows something else and everything is followed – but intention is important – and at least with the original prints from any of these – they maintain the integrity of being original art.

See Also

• Abstract Art Gallery – the best works from this series are found here – examples of other more free form explorations as well
• Types of Sculpture in Stone – Though the main jist of this page is about Stone Reliefs Sculptures & Sculpture in the Round – there is a wonderful paragraph at the bottom pointing out – how it truly is best to not think about these rules or differences as an artist
• Art & Perception – a more scientific look at the evolution of abstract art coming from perception itself

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