77 and 78 - diptych 'Under the Ice Moon'

Not sure where it came from but the words 'ice' and 'moon' came into my head as I was setting up for this session.. and just wouldn't leave (perhaps the moon is full tonight?).

I doubt you can tell from the photo but the under painting had such a cool iridescent presence it which played right into things. As the images emerged 'Under the Ice Moon' stepped forward to title this diptych.

Sleep well--

dave

ps-

It's difficult to tell but this is two pieces-- they're divided in the middle by some tape masking.

75 & 76 - 'Absence' and 'Abundance'

Again- lots of experimenting-- working in layers.. acrylic base, gouache, then oils.

I've been doubling up on the paintings because I've been spending A LOT of time getting my 'inventory' of paintings more in order,.. that is pulled down off the walls (all over the place!), then pulling the tape (the blue edges you see in most of the photos), and hanging them to finish drying. It's a good bit of work but pretty exciting to really *See* the painting for the first time. I'm done this so many, many times but it never fails to surprise and excite me,.. there's really nothing like it ; )

0322-0325 days 71-74 - 'Heal Me' (1-4)

OK, it's been one of those weeks, the kind when life really wants to take all my free time away... but I refuse to let it happen. Perhaps I put a smidge of a 'bend' in the rules,.. but not really,.. since I'm the guy making them! None the less, I think this is certainly a valid way to get back to 'even-steven' ; )

I worked on these four images simultaneously-- making the same gesture/mark on each,.. ending up here. I likes it,. yeah, i really, really likes it.

I hope you do too.

032410 - Day 73 of 365

032310 - Day 72 of 365 - Incredible Photo

OK, here's one more thing that's just too cool *Not* to pass along...

This photo was made by Rob Kroenert on February 18th 2010 in the Yosemite National Park. Every year during the month of February, the Horsetall Falls turn golden around sunset. Truly Amazing!

032210 - Day 71 of 365 - Some inspiraion

Sticking with the theme of 'motivating and inspiring' I thought this site was certainly worth sharing.

http://www.dolectures.com/speakers/

Enjoy!

dave

ps-

I'm happy (and pretty excited) to report that I had two experiences just today of people sharing that they were inspired enough to get back to their own art since being exposed to my project. It's a really sweet feeling to know my movement is causing others to move. ; )

032110 - Day 70 of 365 - 'Almost'

032010 - Day 69 of 365 - 'Back to the Edge'

031910 - Day 68 of 365 - 'Traveler'

Sometimes I feel like I'm *not* supposed to say these kind of things but I'm really diggin' this image,.. It was one of those times/things where I tried something new and it brought the whole game up to a new level!

031810 - Day 67 of 365 'Dreaming of Freedom'

Another cool link to share with you... this is very cool!

Believe it or not this is a real person... you gotta check out the photos. Follow the link below to see and learn more about this 'style' of painting.

http://www.todayandtomorrow.net/2010/03/16/acrylic-on-flesh/

031710 - Day 66 of 365 / 'Standing by the River'

OK - How can I not use this shot!? Yes, they really are green : )

[A lot of times, Creativity = 'Paying attention to' (and 'looking for') those things which others don't take the time to notice]

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Don't do anything I haven't done ; )

Not to worry - I made something (myself) to share too!

031610 - Day 65 of 365 / Gouche over acrylic on Mylar

031510 - Day 64 of 365

"Nothing's Safe" - This is a saying I have about being creative. In this case it was using Elmer's Glue to create a texture of lines to work over. I like the look-- but really won't know for sure until after I pull the tape!

031410 - Day 63 of 365 / Tilt-shift (photography) animation

Also, I figured it was high time I mixed things up a bit and shared something new with you all,.. this is too good not to pass along.

Believe it or not, it is real photography. It's a technique called 'tilt-shifting'. Hop on over to vimeo and enjoy some more-- this guy is (obviously) a pro! vimeo.com/channels/keithloutitssydney

Enjoy-

dave

Bathtub IV from Keith Loutit on Vimeo.

031310 - Day 62 'Shazam'

031210 - Day 61 of 365 'Again'

031110 - Day 60 of 365 - 'holding'

031010 - Day 59 of 365 - 'figment'

The hardest part of this image was bringing in the word-- I didn't start with one this time... but knew I had to finish with one.

It's odd what a challenge it was. Even though the word I select,.. and how I select it seems by all reasonable means to be totally random-- even to me,.. and often quite out of context, it somehow contributes significantly, and often becomes the driving force of the image.

Regardless-- this one showed up (appropriately) to greet the image once it was near completion.

Thanks for dropping by-

dave

030910 - Day 58 of 365 - Class preparation

My creative endeavors this evening were consumed by collecting and planning out a drawing class I'm teaching this coming weekend - 'Drawing doesn't have to be so hard' (at Accent Arts in Palo Alto, CA / http://accentarts.biz/art_list.html)

Now I know this to be true (drawing doesn't have to really be that hard).. I know first hand because it took me A LOT of time and effort to seek out good info. that worked (and made sense) for me. I can't tell you how many times along the way I thought, "Wow, I (finally) GET that!" then quickly to realize/think, "Now,.. why in the hell didn't someone tell me that A LONG TIME AGO!?!!!"

Well, this weekend it's my plan to really help some folks understand some of the *mysteries* of drawing-- without years of effort.

It's funny, everything is composed of the basic 'kit of parts', which is comprised of only 4 shapes. Combine those shapes... along with a basic understanding of lighting (which actually means, 'Light, Shade, and Shadow') AND placement/location within their environment.. and VIOLA - you've got it! Well,.. that might not make you a master,.. but it will put you in a place of greater understanding and control of your image creation.

OK,.. well, I guess only time will tell if I can help others really 'Get it' within a few hour workshop. Not to worry-- I'm confident I can see to it that they have fun and leave with a lot more understanding than they walked in with.

The photos shows my notes and a stack of 'stuff' (books, ref-materials, tools, examples, some of my work, props, etc.) I cobbled together to aide in my efforts.

If you're in the neighborhood -- sign up or drop by!

030810 - Day 57 of 365 - 'Delivered' (poem)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

'Delivered'

Gravity of my gaze,

My will long ago your possession.

Free no more,

Surrender is - my victory.

Pulled from my orbit,

I took the long way home.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

030710 - Day 56 of 365 - 'within'

And now for something... Bigger!

I've been feeling constrained by the size I've been working... so I stepped it up a bit. This one is one vellum and is approximately 24" square. I gotta say I likes it,.. I likes it A LOT!

Oh, and after editing the video I noticed the natural ambient sound sped up with the video took on an oddly eerie sound,.. which somehow really worked for this piece. So I left it. (Funny I have NO IDEA what the sounds actually are as it was very late night and I was listening to music in my headphones. Probably a good thing-- these sounds are enough to freak my out!)

Sorry, YouTube isn't cooperating-- I'll embed the video as soon as it recovers.

I'm looking forward to doing more bigger and bigger works!

Enjoy-

dave

030610 - Day 55 of 365 - 'within'

030510 - Day 54 of 365 - A few more charcoal sketches

Damn-- these are just too fun not to do (and share) again today!

Isn't that just how things *should* be? : )

dave

030410 - Day 52 & 53 of 365 - NEW CAMERA!!!

OK-- I'll admit I missed a day... but I was still working on this project in an 'indirect way'. I bought a new camera and I think the results you'll see the benefits immediately. It will SIGNIFICANTLY up the quality the videos and still images I share with you.

Now I have to be honest-- I really don't know how to use it yet. Even so, the results are already obvious. All I did was set it on 'Automatic/Whatever' and grabbed some shots.

Take a glance at these charcoals I did tonight-- but to really see the benefit, take a look back to yesterday's entry (030210). I re-shot that painting-- Nooooooooow, you can start to see what's really going on over here!

Enjoy-- I'll have more for you soon,

dave

030210 - Day 51 of 365 - Time Again

030110 - Day 50 of 365 - Time

Today just to mix it up a bit I thought I'd throw a little commentary into the mix... instead of just continuing to push my opinion on you all-- I thought I'd share this clip I saw from some experts. It's a bit long-- but has some great bits of wisdom in there,... as valid as any I've ever heard!

Enjoy-

dave