trees « Outhouse Studios Weblog

Posts Tagged ‘trees’

Fall Color

Wednesday, November 29th, 2006

surprising show from the color of grape vines

Autumn Grape Color – digital painting / art prints – Dan Beck 2006

Fall is reserved for the East Coast – mostly New England. I say this out of complete prejudice from having witnessed the New England Fall many a time.

Now that I live in California – I do notice signs of Fall – some changing leaves from deciduous trees – but I was shocked last week to notice fields and fields of color from the dying grape vine leaves.

A spectacular show – that I hope I have put enough of my own spin on…

Last Digital Painting

Saturday, October 21st, 2006

a comfortable pleasing piece

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.

Vibrant Color Leaves Impression

Monday, October 2nd, 2006

contrast of color, checkerboard fields, Santa Lucia foothills

Foothills Contrast – digital painting / art prints – Dan Beck 2006

While driving on River Road up and back along the Santa Lucia foothills last week – I was struck by the incredible color of what was some sort of neglected weed or cover crop.

Despite being essentially dead – it was a remarkably vibrant gold color with some brown mixed in – it was checkerboard strewn through the green fields.

The contrast was amazing and left a strong impression. The glow and contrast is what’s left – the composition pales a bit – but is close enough to communicate. The grape vines in the foreground – were not in the scene of the impression, but are quite plausible for the area this is from – and it definitely makes for a more interesting view.

I do like the trees.

Detailed Digital Painting Reflects Location

Thursday, September 7th, 2006

sunset through California Cypress trees – unique to area

Pine Thru – digital painting / art prints – Dan Beck 2003

There is an organism of Cypress trees at the corner of the property I live on. The tops of the trees merge from a number of trunks – it is remarkable and unusual.

One can see the sunset through the Cypress by positioning oneself – probably ten months of the year. It is often an incredible show.

It is more detailed in ways because I could look out my window and pick up some of the details to fill in my impression. It is titled as such because I was unaware that the trees were Cypress at the time of the painting’s creation.

Digital Painting: Monterey Miway 1

Friday, June 23rd, 2006

humanness of trees through digital art setting

Monterey Miway 1 – digital painting / art prints – Dan Beck 2004

I thought I would feature this digital painting today. It is inspired by Highway 68 between Salinas and Monterey – looking back over my shoulder up at the hills and spying what are most likely live oak trees on the hillside.

Unlike the majority of my computer art work, this piece clearly looks digital – it isn’t the kind of look you can imagine one doing without a computer kind of palette.

The world looks a little other planet – but then again maybe just hot – not a common occurrence here – but it does happen.

More than anything else in this piece, I like the character of the trees. They all appear to be kneeling or reclining – and have a strong human quality in the midst of an almost science fiction background.

This particular piece was intended to be large and sold no smaller than 24×30" – which is the way I have it on my site. I would consider selling it at the smaller 13×19" size – because I recall that it was one that worked that size.

Please email specialorders@outhousestudios.net for special sized art prints.

One, Two, Tree

Wednesday, June 21st, 2006

images of significance – digital painting references development

Treework – digital painting – Dan Beck circa 1999

Earlier I wrote that I try to strike the balance between create and created, artist and audience.

Earlier I had written a complete article about the significance of trees for me – pointing out how there were three in the art-chives where the above digital painting is housed on my site … about how trees were so significant because they were one of the first things I could draw which looked representative of what it was and also be interesting.

I also wrote about family trees and branching out and having established roots – how trees are such a fine metaphor… and even the Wizard of Oz – where trees talk and pitch – wonderful.

A tree was also the image for the CD cover of my previous album: About Time – showing the concept and passing of time in an image itself.

But that was earlier – and that entire article was lost – and that is also part of being creative – making the best of bad circumstances -

earlier I might have even agreed with that.

The Art of the Print

Monday, April 17th, 2006

How the eye moves and sees disparities are behind the art

Compressed View – Enlarge – Digital Painting 2006

Yesterday I wrote about the various printing size options the above piece and others of similar origin size have available.

Today – because I really happen to love this piece I thought I would write a little about the art itself. For the finest printing can’t make something which is mediocre good.

When I view this piece my eye moves – it meanders back up into the clouds, wanders over to the selectively sunlit hills, passes into the blue sky - working its way around the trees and then back down again.

I found this quote at the end of a web-posted paper:

"I have also noticed two people ‘madly’ in love ‘cannot keep their eyes off each other,’ and there is considerable eye movement.

This leads me to wonder if what makes an object ‘beautiful’ is neither the object nor the subject per se, but rather the relationship between subject and object expressed as eye movements."

What I saw the day that made this impression was wider – was impossible to fit onto a page – but held the dark mountains and ominous clouds in one hand and the hope of green and sunlight in the other.

As an artist I love such disparities. As a human being I love that there is such a fine line between gloom and glorious.

If interested in purchasing an original print of the above piece – please email specialorders@outhousestudios.net and reference title "Compressed View".

Digital Painting and hang-able Art Prints

Wednesday, April 5th, 2006

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.

Raining Inspiration

Wednesday, March 29th, 2006

Literal Latitude -> Feeling, Process and Intent

Enlarge – Cloud Cover – Digital Painting 2006- Dan Beck

One would never know its been raining here. Sometimes the clouds just swallow the mountains. I look out, I look up… and see this incredible interplay of cloud and mountain – rain blending the whole scene as though the clouds were bleeding into the hills and the hill/mountains(as I like to call them) disappearing below them.

Indeed the inspiration would be obvious if you were living here too. The response I received today was "That looks familiar".

Yet the curious thing is that there are many things going on with the painting which do not accurately portray what is here. There are shadows where there shouldn’t be, groves of trees kind of hanging in space, a slightly exaggerated cloud density, and a play of light which isn’t quite right.

Recognizing these differences is interesting but the point of bringing them up is about how much latitude there is in portraying a scene. I think sometimes that which holds a piece together, which makes it feel like it should, is not found within the physical strokes; but rather in the intent and process.

Artistic Communication: Sharing a Feeling

Monday, December 12th, 2005

Creating from memory – true to experience

Cactacious – Digital Painting 2005

This is a painting from memory of the Joshua Forest Parkway on US Highway 93 between Kingman and Phoenex, AZ – more specifically, the section where there are both Joshua Trees in the foreground and the Saguaro Cactus on the slopes behind.

The Joshua Tree had a big impact on me. They look like they are from another planet – tree-like at the bottom – they are spiked with ferocity. Not only do we need to be careful or distant, but it seems they need space from themselves as well - as they do not grow close together. They are also very slow growers and can get up to a 1000 years old.

I keep saying that I am more concerned with feeling than literalness of what I am painting. Though I am fairly true to the landscape and look of the two species, some of the colors and specifics of the scene are created to be more interesting to the eye.

With that said, I still believe this is a piece mostly about recording/recognizing a really wonderful experience and keeping alive some of the feeling.

Outhouse Studios Weblog

Posts Tagged ‘trees’

Fall Color

surprising show from the color of grape vines

See Also

Last Digital Painting

a comfortable pleasing piece

See Also

Vibrant Color Leaves Impression

contrast of color, checkerboard fields, Santa Lucia foothills

See Also

Detailed Digital Painting Reflects Location

sunset through California Cypress trees – unique to area

See Also

Digital Painting: Monterey Miway 1

humanness of trees through digital art setting

See Also

One, Two, Tree

images of significance – digital painting references development

See Also

The Art of the Print

How the eye moves and sees disparities are behind the art

See Also

Digital Painting and hang-able Art Prints

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

See Also

Raining Inspiration

Literal Latitude -> Feeling, Process and Intent

See Also

Artistic Communication: Sharing a Feeling

Creating from memory – true to experience

See Also

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