Kitties - digital art – painting – Dan Beck 2003

Over the weekend, we held a giant yard sale in which I sold a few experimentally framed and matted pieces along with every other odd and ends thing under the sun. This particular piece was one I sold.

I have been too busy trying to move to be able to blog, but thought I could take a few minutes today – to share this piece. This digital painting was and is about pushing the limits.

I didn’t even know I could paint cats on the computer when I tackled this piece. Perspective was not as much of a concern as making the cats look cat like.

Even to this day, one of the things I actually like is that the medium is still not completely under my control. There are both happy accidents as well as a rather loose control over much of the ways I impart color and form. I can do things I couldn’t do with conventional paint and brush, but my control is not nearly as developed.

The skill is more about learning how to observe and duplicate playing with the medium. The freedom to let go and make mistakes is also the freedom to control the uncontrollable.

See Also

• Kitties – availability of original prints for the above digital art painting
  
• Slow Leadership: Getting comfortable with control – related by the notion of controlling the uncontrollable – seemed like sound advice though not so much about what I was referring – learning through observation

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”

Field Run – original digital art – Dan Beck 2007

I decided I wanted another take on the Flat Racing. I really enjoyed being a witness, but I also wasn’t sure I had said all there was to say on the subject.

The first version and digital painting captured the movement quite well, but the scene around was rather abstract and unknown. Here I have tried to give more of the perspective of looking up the rows of the strawberry fields.

This is a more detailed version of what I had seen. I am not sure if I like it more or less, but it required more time to play with it and more time to convey another aspect … that the other workers weren’t even paying attention to the race of strawberries right next to them.

I often talk of perspective and understanding – both of these takes on the same scene are original art and a unique view – they are just coming from a different perspective albeit both are mine.

See Also

• Related Artwork – some related digital paintings that are set up for purchase of original prints
• A Different Perspective – good article about looking at the positive in life
• A Different Perspective – Dada without Duchamp – for the art historian who really does want to grapple with the questions of original art

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

Furrowed Field – digital painting – Dan Beck 2007

When I started adding the patterned colors in the dirt – the green, red, and blue; the contours of the dirt flattened out a little – but I liked the digital painting more and found the addition a nice addition to the enjoyment of creating the painting.

The furrowed field in question did just start getting irrigated and I did see two workers in yellow slickers with wrenches cranking on the water.

There was no posing and no pretense of a world in scale -but hopefully fun nevertheless. The figures do seem a bit cartoon-like to me and the representation of water – I have certainly done a few times.

Since to me, one of the key aspects of creating original art is communicating one’s unique perspective – this piece works. It is neither completely new or completely redone. The prints are always original and always as intended by the artist.

See Also

• Rainy Halloween Harvest – first digital painting with figures – actually painted through the window – on location as it were – and first painted yellow slickers
• Good Communication Skills – not advocating a course here – but good points about communication also apply to the conscious part of art
• Original Prints – definitions and distinctions – understanding what is being offered at Outhouse Studios

Color Crossings – digital painting – original prints – Dan Beck 2007

I don’t usually think about how long it takes to create a piece, but I started this digital painting this morning and am printing as I write and just finished uploading the images to website.

It took six hours to paint this – I don’t know exactly where that stands. It would be little for most oil painters – a lot for many, but certainly not all watercolorists; and probably about right for me.

As a rule, I generally complete a piece in two sittings – I like having two perspectives on a piece. But today, I felt comfortable and confident as I rolled the hills and rowed the crop fields.

This original painting has a depth and a material warmth that feels good to me and it is also a bit over the top with the mountains and sky in the background.

See Also

• Original Art – discussion of original art in most of its meanings – found at Outhouse Studios
• Steven Givler – local watercolorist tackles California Central Coast – works in sittings – unusually patient detailed work. This page needs some time to load but there are some gems
• Crossroads Dispatches: It Takes a Lifetime to Create a Masterpiece – I read through this quickly, but realized I liked quite a bit of the sentiment

Quick digital image – for Forgotten Password

Being creative is both about being controlling and being accepting. It is an interesting mix. For there are many times when accepting the seemingly accidental is the best move.

The creative person by necessity makes his mark on the world by communicating his or her perspective.

In the process of rebuilding the shopping cart database for my website, I have felt the obligation not just to get it working but also to make the stock images be unique.

There are things I need to let be – because of time considerations – but I find myself changing most everything – even if it is quickly.

I just can’t help it – who wants to be the same?

See Also

• Quick-draw
  another quick image – a little more artsy perhaps
• NLP, OODA, Creativity, Mastery, And Other Magical Stuff – Sketchpad
  Image of “making mark on world” is how this applies – but rather fun blog
• It?s time to make your mark on the world…
  it’s the saying – clever advertising – not advocating the advertisment though

Another Lightness – digital painting / art prints – Dan Beck 2004

There are times when the mountains seem otherworldly – particularly I have been fascinated by the light that emerges on the mountains seemingly right under the overcast.

It is about perspective and distance – that creates the illusion – but than again – seeing is about seeing – not about what is scientifically there.  And in this case, it is also about an impression.

This piece captures the strangeness of light and abstractly portrays a phenomena that would be less real done a different way.

See Also

• uzilite.com
  “light obliterating every shades” according to Google – nice photos and very slick the way they are displayed – quite fun
• strange light pictures
  spirit in the lens – truth is not the issue for me – but the strange light irresistable
• Another Lightness
  gallery page – enlarge/details – art print options

Yellow Field Green Hills – digital painting / art prints – DB 2005

Like most the pieces in the Impressionist Art Gallery, the digital paintings were intended to be printed large – yielding art prints at a minimum size of a 24 x 30" framed print.

Although I don’t see this as one of my all time best, I do find it remarkably pleasing – particularly since it also seems a bit imbalanced in some ways.

The funny thing is that there are certain perspectives where the mountains feel this ludicrously tall and the fields were indeed this yellow.

Nevertheless, the piece is about impression not a snapshot of reality.

See Also

• in a day’s look – a snapshot of reality – www.mytruevision.com
  interesting snapshots of graffiti -and a take I wasn’t expecting on this phrase
• Press Releases – Unversity of Sunderland
  there is a small press release regarding snapshot of reality – but the stories were lots of fun
• Yellow Field Green Hills
  gallery page – enlargement and details – availability and purchasing options for art prints of above digitial painting

Valley Comfort – digital painting / art prints – Dan Beck 2006

This is the last digital painting I created and it is also a particularly pleasing piece to me. Not just because I was using a mouse again – but also the subject matter make this a comfortable piece.

I like the cross angles of the fields and the way it makes my eye move. I like the different texture in each section – the furrowed dirt and the chunky first turning of the dark soil.

The green fields are velvety enough and do give justice to how these fields can feel. But I think I like the mountains the most – the trees, the texture and the transparent quality depending upon where you look – it feels like this to me.

As a new piece, if you are interested in art prints from this digital painting or just an availability – please email: specialorders@outhousestudios.net.

See Also

• Charles Adams: Images of Charles Partridge Adams
  view the mountains from an earlier perspective
• California…the Pacific Coast Photo Gallery by Alida at pbase.com
  Nice photo tour of surrounding areas – pretty broad but nice big images including one of Santa Lucia Mountains – which is close enough to what I had in mind – give a feel anyway
• Toro Tudor
  Facing the opposite direction from where I think this came – there is probably more similar feelng here than most other digital paintings