Art Print Issues by Barney Davey

The Digital Painter - Marilyn Sholin's Lasting Impression

Congratulations to Marilyn Sholin for the very successful launch of her new book, The Art of Digital Photo Painting: Using Popular Software to Create Masterpieces (A Lark Photography Book) . It's been a top seller in several Amazon categories since publication. In the early going, her publisher struggled to keep up with the strong demand for her book.

Every now and then someone comes along who casts a long shadow over some aspect of their chosen field. When it comes to making contributions to digital painting, Marilyn Sholin is such a person. She is an acknowledged master of the Corel Painter program who shares her talent, techniques and insights with thousands of digital artists and photographers worldwide.

As with many digital painters, Marilyn's path began with a professional career as a photographer. In her case, she has worked for more than 25 years to become a highly accomplished and sought after portrait photographer. Those who know Marilyn recognize a drive and indefatigable spirit that pushes her to take on new and interesting challenges. Those high achiever attributes undoubtedly are behind her becoming an expert user and teacher of the Corel Painter program and other digital imaging tools as well.

Marilyn's expertise has led her into authoring books and marketing CDs; all with the aim of helping others grow their talents in digital painting. She is also the founder of the Digital Painting Forum. It boasts more than 2100 members who have shared nearly 85,000 posts. What is truly unique is this is a closed paid forum. In an age where forums offering free memberships spring up like wildflowers in warm weather after abundant rain, it is refreshing to see and a confirmation of Marilyn's leadership and the dedication of its membership that the Digital Painting Forum stays strong and viable with its paid membership program.

Marilyn teaches classes around the country and overseas as well. If you are interested in learning more about digital painting, or want to advance your skills, you should check out her schedule of classes she offers from her home studio in beautiful Asheville, NC. I visited there last summer and spent some time with Marilyn. It was an inspiring trip on numerous levels. You can get information on all her upcoming events here. If digital painting intrigues you, as it has so many others, you won't find a better resource to improve your skills and advance your learning than through the stellar efforts of Marilyn Sholin.

Overload - What Digital Art Tells Us About the Future

It's been noted artists being aware, sensitive and demonstrative often have a way of portending the future through their work. I agree with this idea and have written about it here in posts such as, "Is the Next Big Thing About To Happen?" and Convergent Media - Stretching the Imagination.

If ever there were a piece of contemporary art that accurately describes the current human condition, it would be Rick Simpson's magnificent piece titled Overload and seen here.

The image is the perfect metaphor for the piling on of the global financial market gyrations on top of those of us interconnected through digital communications. As if we didn't already struggle with an overwhelming amount of useful, trivial and useless data being streamed through constantly improving gadgets.

Simpson's piece took home a well-deserved First Prize in the 8th Annual Donnie (Digital Art Contest) Awards presented by MOCA, the Museum of Computer Art. I think the judges were equally in tune with Simpson's view in foretelling our near future.

Digital art, in my humble opinion, is still in its nascent state. While there is an impressive body of important current work, I believe the best is yet to come. It might just be with equipment not yet invented, or brought to market.

It could be that futurist Watts Wacker's Next Big Thing theory as outlined in the above post may well come from the ranks of digital artists. Given we are nearly through the first decade of a new millennium, it would be a natural evolution.

Art is about expression, which is why it is an excellent harbinger of things to come. Artists seeking to express themselves will use whatever means available to forcefully and eloquently bring forth their vision. I'd say Rick Simpson's work shown here punctuates the notion.

Art Is What You Make It

There is no argument we are cursed to live in interesting times. Events of the past few weeks have made things too interesting by far for most of us. Let's hope the last minute maneuvering to save the US economy works. Too bad most of us are clueless as to how this happened.

On a wing and a prayer our economy flies now

We all understand home prices jumped to unheard heights when the interest rate was dropped down to record lows and stayed there for the longest time. In a nutshell, supposedly smart people who should have cared and known better turned out to be average people with above average greed.

Homeowners were sucked in along the way as many succumbed to the Pied Piper's tune telling them prices would not go down and they could use the equity in their home like a free ATM machine. It was a glorious party, but now the hangover and reality have set in with a monstrous financial headache. It's not that simple, but the essence is there and applies to the highest gilt-edged boardrooms as well as modest two bedroom bungalows.

Can these really be the best of times?

Now, if you are not so depressed about the undoing of our national financial underpinnings, you might be wondering how you can sell some art. I have been saying in workshops, consulting sessions and private conversations for some time that these interesting times are arguably the best of times for visual artists. How so you say? Simply, there are more ways to create your art and more ways to get your art to market than any previous time.

You are not relegated to choosing between oil and acrylics and paper or canvas. You might be start your creative process with the Nikon D90 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camerafor digital photography to capture an image and manipulate it in Photoshop. Or to perhaps learn exciting techniques for making digital imagery in Painter. If you choose the latter, you'd be wise to partake of the tremendous knowledge from Masters such as Marilyn Sholin. You might be digitally painting on the fabulous Wacom Cintiq 21UX 21.3" Tablet with Interactive Pen. 

Are you working in convergence media?

If you are doing these things, I think you are creating something I call convergence media. Like mixed media, the term it borrows the name from, it requires pulling together in unique fashion an artistic vision using a variety of techniques, tools and products to create the final image. Then again, you may be putting paint on canvas as always and just using technology to do image capture to print giclees. And, there is certainly nothing wrong with that.

Just a few short years ago, you would have been doing none of this. Nor would you have a blog, or an online presence with your own Website, not mention the many worthy sites that will help you market your work. In short, right now, you have more opportunity to control how your art is made and more unique ways to find collectors than before.

These are the best of times to release all your creativity

If you have a spirit of adventure and a streak of creativity, you ought to be thinking of how you can use this new technology to create new ways to make and display your art. Why do vehicle graphics have to always be a movable billboard. Why can't they also be a piece of movable art? Do you have the resources, vision and chutzpah to graphic wrap something larger than a Hertz bus? Challenge yourself to go beyond your traditional thinking. How can you use your creativity to create something unique memorable and fantastic? If you rise to the challenge and answer that question and succeed with your vision, you are certain to have your ticket punched for the fast lane to awareness for yourself and your art.

Maybe your vision, budget or stomach for adventure is more mundane. Why not think about using wood, mylar, plastic or other substrates to create art. Here's an idea; you could work with a custom furniture maker to create art that is part of the furniture! The only limit is your imagination being throttled by yourself.

Below is an example of how Dutch photographer Suseela Gorter is using technology to create new ways to have her work displayed and appreciated.

Blooming Window Art - Flat Flowers Stickers (GALLERY)

(TREND HUNTER) These Flat Flowers stickers are the work of Dutch photographer Suseela Gorter. Flat flowers are photographs of flowers in a vase printed on a clear and static material. You simply stick the Flat Flowers… [More]

Start your own creative wheel turning. Let your mind wander. Daydreaming is essential to creative thinking. Write things down as you think of them. Use The Brain to capture and connect your thoughts. You have the capacity to do something unique. If you challenge yourself and respond, good things are bound to ensue.

Making Art & Money in the Digital World - Meet Me in Atlanta

I'm honored to be giving a presentation titled Making Art & Money in the Digital World at the Digital Arts Studio in Atlanta next month. The company is an industry leading premier digital printmaker. The talk is slated for Wednesday, August 13 at 6:30 pm at company headquarters. The address is: 1082 Huff Rd NW, Atlanta, Georgia  Phone: 404-352-9779 Toll-free: 866-352-9779. Space is limited. RSVP via email by August 8.

Here is a synopsis:

Any artist wishing to improve their business will benefit from attending. In a fast-paced hour, you will discover new perspectives on art marketing for visual artists and photographers. Q & A to follow.

Tips on marketing, advertising, publicity, blogging, Web sites, social marketing and gallery alternatives will be provided. Artists will learn unique ways to market themselves and about attributes shared by successful artists. An extensive resource list will be included with the presentation handout.

The presentation will shed light on the rapid changes in traditional art print market and what it means to visual artists and photographers. You will gain insight to help decide to self-publish, seek a publisher or do both. The talk will include the attributes on every art publisher's dream artist list and the merits and pitfalls of both self-publishing and working with a publisher.

A discussion will be provided on how visual artists and photographers can use the print market and digital printing to:

•    Grow awareness for themselves and their art
•    Increase sales
•    Diversify their price points and consumer mix

I'm looking forward to it and promise to do my best to make it fun, informative and worth your time!  

Web Sketch - a great way to be creative with art

A long time reader and artist extraordinaire, Jane Vanderhoof recently sent the beautiful diptych images below with this message: "Barney, you might want to check this site out and talk about it in your newsletter. This is a great way to be creative with art." 

Thanks for sharing this cool Web Sketch tool Jane. I could not agree with you more; it looks like great fun! Click on the image to go directly to her Web Sketch gallery where you can read Jane's heartfelt lovely companion verse for the pieces.

Like so many nifty things on the Web, it's at brought to you at our favorite price, FREE!

P.S. If you have noticed a slow down in the pace of my blog posts lately, you are to be commended for your keen observational skills. I'm devoting time to some other projects and traveling in July and August. You can expect to see a slate of new stuff delivered at full speed starting around Labor Day.

Paint Outside the Frame - Digital Painting Comes of Age

If you have been reading along with this blog, you've seen posts questioning whether the term giclée is passé, rhetorically asking "What Is a Giclée?" and suggesting the term, "Convergent Media" is more appropriate than digital art. The situation is that digital media and communication continues to take a larger role in our lives. The blog you are reading now is a cool by-product of digital media and Web development. The picture below is the work of Convergent Media Artist, Steven Friedman and is featured on the home page of the Digital Painting Forum.

To those born soon enough that life without Game Boys, text messaging and DVRs is inconcievable, I predict the notion digitally rendered art can be construed as fine art will go without question. The rest of us have, or will catch up in due time or let it pass as something we never got. Me, I've had maybe four text messages in my life and don't feel a need for any more any sooner...but don't think about asking me to give up my blog or Internet connection. And, don't tell me exquisite art can't be created from bits and bytes.

Convergent Media - Is It Time to Bury Digital Art?

Convergent Media

(I'm not big on double posting, but I'm going to with this one. This post was originally published on the Wet Canvas in the Digital Art forum. I present it here because it dovetails with my previous Is Giclee Passe? post. Apologies to those who have previously read this on Wet Canvas.)

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The term giclee was coined into usage as marketing jargon. It successfully allowed printers, publishers and artists get away from using the term digital art and digital printing at a time when using either was certain to cool the ardor of potential buyers of this new media.

To keep things in context, in 1990 there was no Internet to speak of, the desktop computer revolution spawned by Windows 95 was five long years into the future. Cell phones and digital cameras weren't the norm as with today. Fax machines exemplified the cutting edge of instant communication technology. (For those of us who worked in an office then, standing around waiting to send or receive a fax was the modern day equivalent of the proverbial water cooler.) So, using digital to describe anything related to art was not going to warm the hearts of any buyer and as such the usage of giclee was brilliantly, if no luckily, conceived, received and passed into the vernacular.

Online Visual Artists - A Lively Discussion.

Besides blogging here and ocassionally on Absolute Arts, I like to engage the community on the some of the discussion boards. I've previously mentioned Wet Canvas. Today, I'd like to tell you about Online Visual Artists. After I published my recent post just below, I made note of it on the appropriate OVA board. It started something that unfortunately doesn't hapen here. That is a lively discussion of a post.  Please don't be shy, If you read something I publish, add your thoughts in the way of commentary. It makes for a better environment all around. Here's the link to the thread in question: http://onlinevisualartists.com/forum/index.php?topic=691.0 

I just posted a reply there longer than my original post here. I hope some of you will join in there or here with your thoughts on the subject of open edition reproductions that are digitally printed.

What Is a Giclée?

It can be a humorous adventure to go on Web sites where digital reproduction are sold under the Giclée moniker and read the vain attempts to explain: what the word means; its genesis; how to pronounce it; or to accurately describe the process of creating digital reproductions.

The reality for the art industry is it really isn't a laughing matter. There literally must be thousands of poorly informed and worse written descriptions floating around cyberspace these days. Many with futile attempts to inform collectors and surfers what the heck is a giclée. The term has become as nondescript and amorphous as the word "print."  The more the word and its description gets mucked up, the more confusing the term becomes to the public and the less ability it has to be a powerful valuable descriptor.