Posts Tagged ‘painting’

Spinning: Art and Music

Tuesday, July 8th, 2008

Weaving Meaning

spin to another time
Hillside Spin – digital art – Dan Beck 2007

I thought it was time to bring out another of the tracks from the Red Eye Recordings last spring – the unconscious mind is a fascinating thing.

The original song is called  “audio fileGlobal Warming” – a joke really – cause there really isn’t a whole lot the song has to do with the topic – just “How come we are sitting in the shade?”  – but as I quickly browsed an image file – looking only at titles – no dates – I thought that the above digital painting rather captures the song – not even sure exactly why – but as it turns out – it was created just about the same time as the song was written – I knew without remembering.

Also interesting – was my own personal quote in the article – something I thought about just yesterday out of the blue -

the dots often connect in conjunction with my life – there is always meaning in the timing – things don’t happen at the speed I expect them to – but when they do – it is always amazing how many things fit together to build a richer meaning.

Writing music works in this same way – a song’s lyrics and music develop like these hills – building until the ending kind of folds into the beginning – spinning back upon itself

Listen or View

  • audio fileGlobal Warming – a song about life – these spinning connections – dog/me/past/future/expectations/potential/timing/ – partner having cigarette withdrawals – me needing to withdraw – and played with a flourish – just one guitar and vocals – and an extra pass for backup vocals – Dan Beck 2007 – Alone and Contagious – written during the recording sessions
  •  Price of meaning – every bit as ridiculous as the conceptual creation of an artwork and article entitled “Meaning” – because of the comical implications of doing such an internet search – prices for original art prints of the above referenced work of art

Returning Sun

Friday, June 27th, 2008

same and new reaction

Salinas Valley 4 - digital painting - Dan Beck 2003

Salinas Valley 4digital painting – image for a audio filesong – “Reaction to the Sun”

I believe I wrote this song in the Spring of 2006 – we had weeks and weeks of overcast and winter rain – and the sun came out for a glorious few days – maybe even a week – and everyone seemed so much happier – whether inside or out -

I know I celebrated with an unplanned and impromptu sunburn – and heat rash – which I thought – a “reaction to the sun” and proceeded to write the song.

In truth, I think it is my own version of George Harrison’s / Beatles – “Here Comes the Sun” – because it is the same concept were it not for the new play on words and a completely different melody and chord structure – but this undoubtedlly is borrowed as well -

because we know there is nothing completely new under the sun.

Listen or View

  • audio fileReaction to the Sun - recorded Spring 2007 – from  Red Eye Recordings – music, lyrics, performance, recording – Dan Beck | 1danband – Alone & Contageous
  • Here Comes the Sun - video of George Harrison performance of (just slightly more famous) song

Art Times Square ‘d

Monday, June 16th, 2008

Times Square Can You?

Times Square Canyon - digital art - Dan Beck 2008

Times Square Canyondigital art – Dan Beck 2008

Visiting the East Coast this week …

I had been asked a couple of years ago to do a digital painting of Times Square – I thought about it – even googled some images but knew I hadn’t been there in so many years I couldn’t do it justice.

In general I like to work from my own impression and feeling of a place and then use the language and vocabulary of the digital medium which is at my disposal.

In this case, it is using the mouse pad and finger painting in an abstract manner to capture the feeling and enormity of the show of technology ads and bright lights of the city at night. In particular – looking up Broadway in what feels like a canyon of buildings and lights – jagged, beautiful, and bustling with moving lights and people.

It is a couple of days (or a couple of years) later – but this is also sometimes my custom…

See Also

Improvisation

Thursday, May 22nd, 2008

play the way

Abstract 1 - digital art - improvisation - Dan Beck

Abstract 1digital art – improvisation – Dan Beck 2008

Creating an abstract painting for me is like improvising music without a chord progression. I start without a plan – just moving and creating shapes – overlapping , building, not so much thinking as observing.

The digital painting is about the process – the movements, the colors, the layering. Whatever form there is happened out of this dance of color – out of the play of comfortable swirls and movements – watching, observing – adding with balance – but not so much that is feels even and symmetrical … these are my rules – my way of doing – one layer of color at a time – occasionally coming back to an original color, but generally adding only new variations.

The black lines were not thought through either – but there seems to be a bit of a tree shape – a common theme right now – not surprising a comfortable motion would yield such a reference.

This is probably the truest dan art – if there is such a thing. All my representational, impressionist, landscape art, or figure art etc. draw from the vocabulary and techniques developed from this abstract play, and if not, it was because I permitted the same degree of looseness in the other work.

See Also

  • Abstract Art Gallery – some of the abstract explorations at Outhouse Studios
  • Improvisation – Milestones of the Millenium – discussion of how classical composers improvised – though not discussing how communication itself is about improvisation – music and art connect and this connects to something I was thinking about earlier today

More or Less Equal

Thursday, May 15th, 2008

music with digital art accompaniment or digital art with musical accompaniment

link to video posted on You tube
music and digital art project

(Tip: select “watch in high quality” link)

Slowly I have been releasing tracks from a cd of music I created last Spring -
Previous articles have included tracks 1, 2, 3 and 4 and one out of order track to be written about again I suspect.This particular track (#5) seemed very conducive to having a visual accompaniment from my art. I have wanted to take on a music and art slide-show movie project for a few years but never gave myself the time or perhaps the permission to try.

I don’t quite understand timing in life – one can contemplate doing something for years and then one day you do and wonder why you waited. Although having said that – I don’t wonder – my life has other priorities and I always have more projects and ideas than I have time to carry out.

Listen or View

Quadbliss.com – thoughts on life – incredibly detailed paintings and partial inspiration for the song

Nothing Is Equalaudio file – music track by itself – neither music quality or video quality is particularly good with youtube – will post again after I can figure out the best alternative

More Time – More Tree

Friday, May 9th, 2008

change of scene – changing seasons

More Remote Tree - digital painting for original prints - Dan Beck 2008

More Remote Treedigital painting for original prints – Dan Beck 2008

When I have painted this tree in the past – it has always been by memory and impression – this is no exception – the seasons have been changing – grasses growing and leaf base is quite a bit stronger.

To me the work has an impressionistic feeling with a rather clear digital component – even if the medium is intended to take a back seat to the content of the painting.

Observing the changing tree over time makes for an interesting group of work – or at least an interesting puzzle and interesting in that each one so far has been created without referencing the previous versions until after completion.

Limits are good – my rules are to not intervene with photos and not try to block my own understanding – hoping to impart the feeling which has prompted the painting in the first place.

See Also

  • Original Prints – discussion of digital painting and original nature of prints at Outhouse Studios
  • An Artist Needs Limits – discussion of the importance of limits for the creative process

Repetition and Revisiting

Monday, April 21st, 2008

originality requires rethinking

Sun Blowin Bye - Dan Beck 2003

Sun Blowin Bye – Dan Beck 2003 – digital painting

As an artist and musician and the person that I am – I always want to do things differently – do it my way – lay down my own tracks, as it were, and be a pioneer.

What I know as a teacher both of others and even myself – repetition is a necessity for being able to improve on the execution of the same subject matter or even new subject matter.

My goal for a new piece of music or artwork is to create something to live inside – but even then, I must keep playing the new work of music – keep painting some of the same old things – keep exploring the same ole medium – keep revisiting the same old works …

I need to see how I view or hear them from where I am today. There are never enough hours to be new and be revisiting – so though I am in a time where I have plenty of new work – though not recorded – plenty of old work – not yet shared – I am revisiting a song I have offered and a digital painting that I have had on my website…

because it is the way I am feeling today – and it is worth it for me to revisit it.

Listen or View

  • audio fileCan’t Stand Still – original song – Dan Beck / 1danband – 2005 – music is a refuge and can take over – no matter what else is going on
  • Original Print Options – for above digital painting – Sun Blowin Bye
  • On RepetitionSupercharging Your Affirmations – perhaps even more necessary to repeat when what is learning requires some unlearning as well

Evolving Expectations

Wednesday, April 16th, 2008

the timing of finishing – art and reality

Further Along Tree 1 - Dan Beck - digital art painting 2008

Further Along Tree 1 – Dan Beck – digital art painting 2008

This digital painting was finished over a month ago. The previous article showing the version of this painting which felt finished, balanced, and worth saving, – based upon the piece itself and not the original vision; was written over two weeks ago.

I guess it is rather apparent that my writing is not keeping up with my creating. Actually I find everything takes longer than expected – my head is generally way ahead of my physical world – but then that makes sense. How could matter move as fast as thought?

And why do we expect things to take the time we think things will take – even if we have done something before – it might take more or less time – circumstances are always different.

But most of us, including myself, have expectations about how long even things we have never done will take.

The finished painting above matched my concept and vision more closely as well as my expected timeline for doing a painting – there is more texture, more depth, more visual confusion – and more what I had in mind to begin with -

What is wonderful about art and life – is that sometimes the head gets to follow the body – follow the physical world – and sometimes the timetable of the physical world is smarter than the head.

See Also

  • Timing Innovative Music – previous article about time and timing and sharing my own creativity
  • Time Expectations – though I do not completely share the capitalistic sentiments, I whole-heartedly concur that our expectations affect the timeline of completing a project
  • Digital Art Prints – about art prints, digital painting, and what it means for outhouse studios to produce original prints

Evolving Art

Tuesday, April 1st, 2008

evolving landscape

Further Along Tree - Dan Beck - digital art painting 2008

Further Along Tree – Dan Beck – unsigned – unfinished? – digital art painting 2008

On April fool’s day one should hope for a joke – if I have one for the day – it is unfinished like the piece above – stopped at this point and saved because it looked balanced, finished, and pleasing – but I knew I was not done because I had not portrayed the essential aspects of the tree and background from the impression on that day.

This is also based on the same tree and the same tree – but further along in the season – as well as the pun of further down the road.

As with the other jokes – one might not get that the three trees are one and the same – but then they are not anyway – each day different – changing like us -

if we trusted our senses and not our minds – much if not all, would be unrecognizable when we view what with our minds we consider to be the same thing -

That came out so convoluted sounding – I think the joke may be on me.

See Also

Timlessness of Beauty

Saturday, March 22nd, 2008

out of time

River Spring Fauna - digital art painting -Dan Beck 2008

Learning a newly written song, getting lost inside the world of a new painting, reading an excellent book are all a bit like falling in love…

I suppose anything which demands the attention such that the world stands still – that time doesn’t feel like it exists, that puts us completely in the moment and doesn’t want to let us go – has that quality.

River Spring Fauna – digital art painting – Dan Beck 2008

The art above is about the view from above – looking out on the valley – seeing the Salinas river – seeing the incredible texture and color of Spring below – that tapestry of color that pulls and mesmerizes – yes nature can pull off the effect of timelessness as well.

In the nature of out of time – and not in the fashion of deadlines – it seemed somehow appropriate on this first day (it was when I wrote this) of Spring to share a song of joy, love, and being lost or perhaps found in the world of timelessness.

Not part of the Red Eye Recordings – it is a track from 2005 CD: 1danband | dansingnew

Listen or View

  • audio fileOut of Time – as described above – living in the timeless moment – in love, in life – music, words, performance, production – dan beck | outhouse studios | 1danband |dansingnew – 2005
  • Keats, “Bright Star”, timelessness addressed – a very nicely done poem analysis – addressing the same kind of issues – and looking at multiple meanings rather than just one
  • Digital Painting – a look at the special nature of art at outhouse studios and discussion of terms