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the art of a thankless job

Thankless Job 1 - digital painting - Dan Beck 2007

I am not sure why I left this piece finished where I did - but I think I on some level I wanted the art to be as thankless as the subject itself.

Weeding the mound of dirt between the fields and the road is a thankless job. It is kind of like sweeping the dirt - but it is a job I have witnessed. That it reads like the field worker is spanking his or her own butt - was accidental at first, but left intentionally.

The flying weed - which looks more like a strange anatomical growth - must be my subconscious at work here as well -

I painted the digital painting and thought the style a bit cartoonish - and it wasn’t what I wanted - so I probably won’t ever offer original prints, but it was something I had to do.

There are many thankless jobs in this world - creating original art often fits into that category too.

See Also

• Field of Hoes - similar cartoonish feel - but I think the art works a little better - well it was received better anyway
• Thankless Job - Art Journal: Directors - a different aspect of no thanks in art
• Caught In The Town’s Most Thankless Job - TIME - a bit of history shows how different such a phrase can be interpreted and how “the grass is always greener”

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

continued exploration of original art

Jazz 3 - digital painting / original art prints - Dan Beck 2005

When I am not sure what I might want to write about, I frequently go to the home page of Outhouse Studios and click on the Gallery Chance card - kind of reminiscent of playing monopoly.

If by chance it takes me to a gallery like the Abstract Art Gallery - I might have to click on Image Roulette - which transports me to an original image and digital painting for that day.

What is fun and probably not accidental about the above piece is that I was thinking about this process in the last day or two. I did a multitude of abstract drawings and paintings long before I ever started working with the computer. They were mostly about trying to convey a feeling - more about the energy and thought I put into the piece than thinking about colors or form.

The piece above - was done listening to some jazz from my collection - I can’t say what at this time - but something I was in the mood for - and simply having fun - being both inside the music and inside the art.

It was done in the style of a meditation - little internal dialogue - observing without judging and being the connection.

See Also

• Jazz Time - other jazz related digital paintings and art prints by Dan Beck - these a bit more obvious
• Monopoly Rules - Chance and Community Chest - in case you don’t remember or somehow missed playing monopoly - Is that possible?
• Changing Places » Blog Archive » Dialogue (Repost) - more about internal dialogue than meditation - I like a lot of the people quoted here - and this gives some good insight into what I am referring

influence and innovation of the master

Last night I had the pleasure of watching a program on PBS about Paul Cezanne.  In  the show, Picasso was quoted as saying Cezanne was the "father of us all". 

Cezanne was his own man - he painted as he felt he should and did not believe in blindly following the style of his time.  His work is impressionistic but slips into abstraction before anyone else even thought to see that way.

Cezanne has always been one of my favorites - how could he not be?  There are plenty of places to buy an art print reproduction of Paul Cezanne’s on the net and elsewhere. 

On the other hand, it is also possible to buy original art prints  - affordable due to digital painting - and though not a now tried and true classic - perhaps innovative in the same way as Paul Cezanne was - at least it is my intent to follow my own path.

See Also

• Cezanne in Provence
  Info about the PBS special on Paul Cezanne’s life and work
• Cezanne in Provence - Image Gallery
  Some images of art work shown in show
• Impressionist Art Gallery
  Outhouse Studios gallery with more unintentional Cezanne influence

Development of Matting and Framing

Framed Art Print - Composite Twilight

It took me a long time to develop the way I wanted to frame the 13×19″ prints. When they are formatted to have an image approximately 12×16″, I felt they should fit inside a 16×20″ frame.

As you will notice above, this does not leave a huge border. In addition, you might notice that the print has a small paper edge around it. I wanted the print nature to be clear.

I also wanted it to be simple enough to fit in with any decor, but allow me the use of some color to bring out the image more. The sliver of color - dusk grey above - is all it takes to accent the art print.

There is also enough room so the print itself can be signed on the paper border - rather than the matt board to possibly be lost years later.

Most importantly, it has a unique feeling - almost like a stamp. You can feel the image almost push out against the frame strengthening the power of the piece itself.

See Also

• Composite Twilight
  Options for Art Prints for above piece
• Printmaking - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  Nice resource on various types of printmaking
• Print Design vs. Web Design (Alertbox)
  Found this and thought it worth sharing - how opposite printing is from web images - hmm

Absence of color yields original work; Process yields original art prints

Black & White Days - enlarge - Digital Painting - 2006

It has been raining a lot here. It feels like somewhere else. But in the presence of so much rain, it is often quite noticeable how absent the color is.

I remember associations with the grey days of winter, but winter here in Salinas is generally quite nice with a bit of rain mixed in - which works its way across the country to become snow storms (not grey).

But here looking at the mountains looking up through the trees - seeing the clouds - it is in black and white.

The art at Outhouse Studios is painted on the computer by using a mouse, it is stored digitally and it is then printed onto fine watercolor paper using archival pigment inks. The resulting art prints are a step up from what’s on the monitor. There is something about being on a hang-able medium that makes an image come to life.

Typically, a print of this type (giclee) would come from a digitized image(photo or scan) of a painting and then printed on to fine paper or canvas. The beauty of creating prints from digital painting is that it is direct - it is as intended - and there is no hang-able anything more original than the prints.

If interested in purchasing an original print of "Black & White Days" please email specialorders@outhousestudios.net and reference the title and size. 

See Also

• Purchasing options for “A State of Sky”
  Similar sized work - same pricing would apply
• Grey Winter Days Photo Gallery by chrisse
  A sweet photo gallery from Belgium with the right title