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perspective from above - same theme, different understanding?

Flat Runs - digital art - painting & original prints - Dan Beck 2007

This is my last completed digital painting - finished last week sometime. It was started after the first same themed piece and prior to the last featured piece from more of the true perspective - if there is such a thing.

The work was inspired by a drive-by moment witnessing three field workers racing their strawberry flats to the staging area or truck - I didn’t notice.

It is more about feeling and understanding than actual viewing and therefore a view from above is just as true - but it wasn’t what I wanted and I started another piece before I finished this.

And though I think the other two pieces are more original art for me - I do love the bright color and some of the digital art twists, turns, and copy and paste which are not always utilized in my work.

See Also

• Sea of Backs - perception here is also based on understanding
• O’Reilly — Scott Haefner: View from Above - most interesting results to search term “view from above”

Relevant Tags:art painting, digital art, digital painting, original prints, original art, perspective, view from above

 

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

Relevant Tags:art prints, digital painting, drawing perspective, original art, original prints, perspective, understanding perspective

 

viewing and processing life - creatively

In my mind the three images above of digital paintings were created around the same time. Whether it is true or not, I am not going to research.

Promoting the Creative World is about observations particularly in regards to the creative process, but it is also observations about viewing and processing life. How could it not be?

Associations are more real than the way things happened. Our memories and how we categorize what we have experienced take on a life of their own - truth is they become our reality unless they are shattered. And many folks won’t budge from their reality even when confronted with facts.

There is no critique here; but just like "hindsight is 20/20" and "the older we get, the better we were" so much of what we perceive is wrapped up in our own perspective of the world - worth mentioning I think.

See Also

• Landscape Art Gallery
  where above pieces can all be found
• Hindsight Perspective
  How film and literature changes with plot information - further insight into how informed we are when we already know

Relevant Tags:creative process, creatively, digital paintings, hindsight, images, memory, perspective, processing, viewing, viewing and processing life

 

digital painting technique used today - theme yesterday

Field of Hoes - digital painting / art prints - Dan Beck 2005

Theoretically, I found this piece by chance today - clicking on gallery chance - which randomly found the Figures Art Gallery - then hitting image roulette landed me at this piece.

My last digital painting was titled “Hoes in the Mist” - its origins similar in that the name was a part of the inspiration - plus similar theme.

The way I portrayed the distance was new at the time - doing a little copying, manipulating and pasting to establish perspective.

I don’t do that all that often - but today I did - and though it is easy to find meaning and connection - this doesn’t seem accidental to be featuring this piece today.

See Also

• Field of Hoes
  availability of art prints for digital painting Field of Hoes
• Cool Optical Illusions - Wow Perspective Distance Fun
  optical illusions are fun - and much of art is a bit of that anyway
• What is Perspective?
  Perhaps more than one wants to know

Relevant Tags:Art Prints, chance, digital painting, digital painting technique, inspiration, meaning and connection, perspective, portrayal

 

as art prints are more revealing that digital images - so can art be to seeing

Out Field - digital painting / art prints - Dan Beck 2006

This is an excellent example of how art prints can show so much more that is in a piece than simply looking at the monitor image of the digital painting.

By looking at a detail closer to its intended size (results will vary with monitor resolution*) - one can see how much is being missed at what is close to a monitor sized image.*

The content and composition is pretty much a composite of much of what I see in the fields around here.  All of these things are going on at once, but in truth there is no way to see them all from any perspective that I am familiar with here.

So I invented one - hoping to show more of the reality than one might actually be able to see.

For art prints of above digital painting, please email: specialorder@outhousestudios.net.

See Also

• Figures Art Gallery
  some similar work can be found on website
• Glossary
  content here is more completely defined
• Art History Glossary - Perspective
  the claim is you can learn all about perspective by following the links (but not as in point of view or bias)

Relevant Tags:Art Prints, composition, content, content and composition, digital images, digital painting, enhancing perspective, perspective, printing

 

power of perspective leads to original digital painting

Dividing Road - digital painting / art prints - Dan Beck - 2004

There is kind of a nice design and balance to this piece. The road winds through - off center a bit and there are three main areas to the piece which are each bold and clearly delineated.

When I set out to paint the experience, I found myself painting from above. The perspective was coming from somewhere other than my being in the car.

This digital painting is based upon an experience. And in the experience I was in one of the cars - but I think my mind was actually elsewhere - because something struck me about the scene.

There was barrenness on my right with the mechanization of irrigation going on - on my left were multiple crews of strawberry pickers - and there in the center - just passing through - on our way to or from work or fun - we traveled just as much a part of the scene.

See Also

• Dividing Road
  Information and availabiltiy of Art Prints for “Dividing Road”
• Vincent van Gogh: The Paintings (Valley with Ploughman Seen from Above)
  example of work by Van Gogh - as seen from above

Relevant Tags:Art Prints, digital painting, original digital painting, paint experience, painting from above, part of the scene, perspective

 

digital painting reveals vast world and lone figure

A State of Sky - digital painting / art prints - Dan Beck 2006

I wrote about this piece shortly after creating it in January. At that time I focused on what seemed to be an illusion with the clouds and the mountains and how I actually painted pretty much what I saw.

Today, I approach this digital painting from the perspective of the world which was created here. Clearly the size of the mountains, the vastness of the fields, and hugeness of the clouds are part of the message. The lone figure seems so small but not lost either.

The clouds could even be interpreted as snow if one wanted. Some pieces make one want to get lost in them more than others.

I can’t speak for others in regards to this piece, but do find myself easily drawn in to a world that is both similar and far removed from what is really at hand.

See Also

• A State of Sky
  Availability of art prints for A State of Sky
• Wold of Stock - Vastness Photos
  Just a search - but photos of the theme
• Harvesting in Salinas
  Aerial views show just vastness

Relevant Tags:Art Prints, digital painting, drawn in, lone figure, perspective, similar and far removed, vast world, vastness

 

gaining perspective by walking away and coming back fresh

Ticket-Outhouse Studios

Digitally created composite image from digital paintings - 2003

This morning I started writing a song - if I had finished it - I might have recorded it to share it; but like most creative endeavors it requires my walking away and coming back to it.

I was in my kitchen making coffee - enjoying my dog’s company - because no one else was home - besides the cats. I heard words and music - yes I admit it - in my head - together.

To me this is not strange - but it was quick and could have easily been missed. I had no intentions of writing a song today. I diverted not so much because I wanted, but because I had to - a gift perhaps - words and melody to take where.

I do believe it is going to be a good song - their are difficulties to still work through - and as much as I want to have it complete, I can only finish it by walking away for a while and coming back to it fresh.

The same goes for art or any difficult project - we must get some perspective to see how to proceed.

See Also

• Cats and the Dogs
  Music from summer 2004 - seemed appropriate since song I am writing about is not ready
• Music CD’s at Outhouse Studios
  Availability and Pricing
• Curiosity Da Vinci Style - The Everyday Artist
  creativity, open slate, curiosity, & fresh perspective

Relevant Tags:composite image, creative project, digital paintings, digitally created, observing, perspective, walk away come back fresh, words and melody, writing song

 

perspective, vivid primary colors, and subject

Two Pick 2 - digital painting / art prints - Dan Beck - 2006

When a piece works well both small and large, I really feel like I’ve hooked it. To me, this digital painting is quite strong.

There is a boldness to the image which is quite iconic. As though the piece was practically clear enough to be a logo.

The perspective is incredibly clear and straightforward and I think that is part of the reason it reads so clearly. The colors are also vivid and primary - nothing confusing about the immediate perception. Even the two figures are immediate.

In the spirit of double talk - there is complexity but it is masked by simplicity.

Art prints for this digital image are available by request - please email: specialorders@outhousestudios.net.

See Also

• Field Play
  same size template - similar sized art prints - strong iconic image as well
• Depth Cues
  basics in clear depth perception

Relevant Tags:Art Prints, clear perspective, digital image, digital painting, iconic, image, immediate perception, logo, perspective, vivid primary colors

 

personal perspective expressed in painting

Foothills Terrain - digital painting - Dan Beck 2006

I have found myself painting quite a bit over the last week. Inspiration and acting upon it are topics I keep coming back to - because I think it is lot of what I need to share.

Someone recently said to me that she had seen work by all these talented people (she included me - thank you) and it made her feel like she had none.

I understand that feeling - there are countless artists who leave me in the dust technically and conceptually and many musicians who make me feel like a hack.

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But I have more than enough vocabulary to communicate and no one else can see from my perspective.  And this is true for all creative beings.

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As for the above scene - I had to do something to express what I had experienced.  This area is incredible, no photo or painting can do it justice, but I did succeed in giving it depth, form, and feeling.

For art prints of the above digital painting, please email specialorders@outhousestudios.net.

See Also

• Nestling Grape Rows
  another view from the Santa Lucia foothills
• Creating Talent
  Talented folks giving more credit to work than something inate or passing through
• Inspiration: Where Does It Come From? - New York Times
  A quick and more fun take on inspiration

Relevant Tags:Art Prints, creative beings, digital painting, inspiration, inspiration and talent, perspective, talent, vocabulary