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Perspective on Understanding

Rolling Fields - digital painting / original prints - Dan Beck 2004

I’ve been working on a few different paintings at the same time. This is not one of them. But it is appropriate to feature today for two reasons. It does not follow the rules of how to achieve perspective, but it reads with perspective anyway - and I wrote about it before in conjunction with reasons for buying art.

Having any flat surface read as 3 dimensional is an illusion - the representation is an illusion - but perhaps no more so than what we perceived in the first place.

How often do we see something which doesn’t make sense and assume we have looked incorrectly? We make corrections based upon our understanding … and so it is with an original art piece like this.

Our understanding makes corrections to the perspective even though what we are seeing doesn’t really make visual sense.

I continue to like this piece because it feels like this land and feels good - I know where I am - even though it is not literally even close.

See Also

• Original Prints - understanding the nature of art prints at Outhouse Studios and original digital paintings
• Perspective Drawing - can’t say that I got through the entire show - but this is thoughtful and fun - knew there had to be some perspective rules out there somewhere

the mark of origin - cultural as well

If I were branding cattle, what would I want my brand to look like? Logos and brands are not exactly the same thing. But in the image at right, which I have taken to using as a brand on my artwork - is that kind of literal ‘burn on the cattle‘ kind of thing.

Since I only starting using it in the last month or two, it will not appear on all my art - though I can go add it for future printings of older digital paintings.

The brand has my initials - includes a musical note and/or 1 depending on how one reads - hints at ‘1danband‘ a musical name I use and also abstractly looks like a worker carrying a hoe - a common image of mine.

I have not yet decided on the name for my brand - not sure if it will be read as dB or d1B or if it even needs a name - but I like the identification in addition to my signature - it seems fun. It is also part of the double side of having work which is original art - but is also able to be produced in large multiples - and remarkably - art prints which will always be original prints.

See Also

• joomla - Your Logo is not your brand - discussion of the difference - pointing out that a brand is more about public perception rather than a stamped image
• Is My Logo a Brand? - another article defining the differences quite clearly
• Logo Pogo - this issue has been discussed by me as well - I don’t always follow the rules - even when they are my own rules

grows on you; you enjoy being inside finding surprise

Houses on the Hillside - digital painting / art prints - DB 2005

Just like what makes a good piece of art, what makes a good art print is really about how it is received.

I would never say beauty is in the eye of the beholder - for to me that would relegate it to relativism and nothing.

Some people love fast food over all else - I have seen someone go buy it in place of a gourmet meal - more than once I might add.

But my digression, is only to say that an art print should grow on you - it should be a place you enjoy being inside looking at and a place which continues to surprise you.

Unfortunately, one can not know for sure unless one buys a piece and lives with it. Which is one of the reasons I suppose these art prints are such a great way of buying original art - there are a number of economic options.

See Also

• Houses on the Hillside
  size availabiltiy and pricing for art prints for above digital painting
• Art Quotes
  Quotes from many artists - some pertaining to beauty - others just meant for the kind of reaction one might have to art itself - I should think - a good selection here

richness in the soil, feeling the fog, blowing the earth

Work in the Dirt - Digital Painting / Art Prints - Dan Beck 2004

A piece found in the original art-chives, I never thought it caught on much. And I am not exactly sure why I picked this digital painting to feature today.

I think the main reason, it that I feel like the piece expresses a state of weather and state of being that is pretty fascinating.

The way the fog/overcast is merging with the land - blowing the soil - is a common occurrence here.  Like Mark Twain’s coldest winter being summer in San Francisco - summer here tends to see the fog roll in early.

I gave it a title of "Work in the Dirt" because after completing it, I noticed figures seemingly working, subtly, almost imperceptibly in the dirt - maybe a bit like the reality.

I also like that the dirt had a story to tell - and that phrase I recall that "organic farmers don’t treat their soil like dirt".

All these things give the art prints from this digital painting a richness that could easily be overlooked. As for me, I mostly like it, because it captures the way it frequently feels here while still being abstract.

See Also

• Work In The Dirt
  availability of art prints for “Work In The Dirt”
• Urban Legends Reference Pages: Questionable Quotes (And Never the Twain Shall Tweet)
  Mark Twain - they say its not so - apparently like others
• Willow Wind Farms - Farmers and Fields
  Notes from a seasoned organic grower in Washington state on how to treat soil

sunsets, climate, better art, faithfully produced as original art prints

Sunset Impression - digital painting / art prints - 2005

There are a lot of wonderful sunsets here.  A lot of the reason is that I have an unobstructed view across the fields up to the hills and mountains this side of the ocean.

The sunsets are nice here also because they are - it is an amazing climate - guess that is why the vegetables like it so much too.

Earlier today, I was thinking about how with each piece I hope to create something which outdoes the last piece. I think that is the hope of any artist to create the better artwork or write the better song or dance the best dance etc.

We all know that each piece can’t be as good as the next - but it is not sustainable to think that one’s best work is behind one.

I am not sure that the above piece I ever felt was my best - but I do know it has been viewed favorably by a number of people.  What I also know, is that I can print this digital painting - as numerous different sized art prints - and have every one be as original as the next.

To say this isn’t magic would not be accurate - because it is magical to be able to paint using a computer and create digital paintings which can be produced (not reproduced) faithfully every time.

See Also

• Sunset Impression
  Availability of art prints for Sunset Impression
• Salinas Valley Chamber of Commerce
  Agricultural Industry Statistics - It’s the Climate!

abstract style digital painting with links to related works

digital painting - 4 the Road  Dan Beck - 2003

I keep spinning through my pieces - figuring there is a story to tell about each of them or at the very least a discussion about the medium or the art prints themselves.

When I did this I know I wanted a piece with this title - to come after a piece called 1more in the then other art gallery which has since been disbanded if you will and put into the original art-chives - more than probably anyone needs to know about outhouse studios website history.

The style was pretty abstract - I learned about more subtly adding texture long after this piece. And it looks like at this point, I was only using the stock textures - either not knowing or not having got to customizing my own yet.

There is a pond at the bend in the road - this is not the true landscape - but it is a wonderful microcosm of the rolling fields and the feeling of this land.

Like most of my earlier works it looks very complete printed on 13×19″ Japanese watercolor paper. Its initial pixel dimensions are such that it really looks bold and full. The trade off is that it would not be so exceptional larger than printed and matted for a 22×28″ frame.

See Also

• 4 the Road
  Available art prints for 4 the Road
• Abstract Art
  Origins of abstract art as well as explanation
• What is Abstract Art?
  The kids version - another side to the puzzle

Album Cover Art, Art for Music

Art for CD - original size Caribbean 2 - Digital Painting 2005

In addition to my own recent CD, I recently did artwork for another group. The cover and information about The Latin Quarter Jazz Collective can be found on their site.

Other CD Cover designs can be seen on this site - Caribbean 1, Caribbean 4, and the cover art Caribbean 3. In addition, you can see other CD Covers at the Outhouse Studios Music page.

So if there is a point to be made, I suppose it is that the merger of music and art is a particularly fun area for me.  I enjoyed the challenge of coming up with the appropriate work for the nature of the music - and have enjoyed the challenge of coming up with the appropriate artwork for the music I have recorded.

I have discussed art coming from a concept before - but pairing with music is more than just a concept - it must fit the music as well as the theme.

As it turns out the above artwork, though not chosen for the cover can be found on the actual CD - guess that even more literally fits the music.

See Also

• CD’s - Latin Quarter Jazz Collective
  Information about CD’s and view CD cover art
• Cin Weekly - Music Appreciation
  Article about album cover photography and music
• Sideman to musical ghosts - New York Times
  On the missing connection between art and music - amusing and curious

Inspiration, Intended Feeling, Results

Feeling of Rain - Digital Painting 2005

Inspiration can come from anywhere, from a thought, a sight, a sound, any sensation at all. Well in this case, the winter rains have started here. The "storms" here become the STORMS of anywhere East of here.

Storms here are rain and wind, but they still feel like a storm in comparison, even though I know better having lived in the Midwest and on the East Coast most of my life.

In any event, the piece above is about the feeling. It does look at the cloud and mountain scene to grab the feeling, but it is intended to be something more than a grasp at reality.

Lighter than snow, and clearer than fog - whether it works or not is up to the observer; but for me I am quite satisfied with it. The results have the feeling I was looking for and that is probably even more important.

See Also

• Reality Quotes, Sayings about subjectivity and objectivity
  Fun reading - appropriate to “grasp at reality”
• Music -Pink & Blue 1919 - Georgia O’Keeffe
  Something I was reminded of as I was posting piece and article
• Georgia O’Keeffe Museum
  More information and images of this important artist

archival print - lasting image

Salinas Valley 1 Digital Painting - 2003

I find myself showing off a piece from a couple years ago.  My work has grown since this was created, but I still find this to be a strong and significant piece.

The way the hills and in particular the row crops are represented was a first at the time, but has remained fascinating to look at. Please see gallery page and the image enlargement.

There is no attempt at reality, but the cloud seems wispy - and although the sun and hills are a bit of a caricature, they capture the way the land is around here - the rolling, overlapping  layers of field crops - exaggerated a tad but then again quite reminiscent of reality.

Like the other art on my site, it is created using a computer and mouse and each print is done on watercolor paper using fine archival inks and is considered a giclée.  The work will last for generations and what I find particularly exciting is that each piece is by design an original.

See Also

• The Califorinian Online - Area Overview
  Salinas Valley - including apprropriate photo
• The Salinas Valley
  Photo 2 - see previous and following for feel of valley
• Iris Giclee Print
  Detailed discussion of giclee merits

Definition, How the art reads, Final Flourish

Desert 1- Route 66 - Digital Painting 2005

From the last version to the finished version are some fairly clear changes which help pull the piece together.

I added rocks/stones to the precipice of road to make it read a little better. I also gave the mesa more solidity giving it more texture and definition. Creating a 2-dimensional piece from 3-dimensional world is about creating illusion. 

Though my work is not a particularly realistic approach to painting, it still requires the interpretive look of whether something reads the way I hope it will.

As in listening, any sort of seeing, any sort of interpreting - one cannot imagine all the ways someone might look at something. Noted in the Daily Yomiuri Online(The Natural World of Olafur Eliasson - no longer available):  "Contemplating a work of art, we each bring to it our own memories and experiences, creating a mental image that is uniquely our own." 

With that said, it is our job to try to be clear - just as it is our job to try to understand all the possibilities.

The final thing I did to the piece was tint it a color which gives it more of the mood I was looking for and additionally pulls the piece together like a varnish might.  It is kind of a final hurrah - a bit like an unveiling - or unwaxing a batik - a final coat making it just that much better.

See Also

• Encylopedia of Educational Technology - Setting the Mood with Color
  A Look at the colors and how they affect or create mood
• Color of Mood Can Be Measured
  Tracking moods using color provides planning map - in the news
• Batik - Wikipedia - Free Encyclopedia
  Defined/explained quickly and to the point