Oil on board, 5.5" x 9"
$165 plus $8 shipping in U.S.
Click image to enlarge
I rephotographed this Painting from a year ago and decided to repost it. The first photo was kind of washed out--this one is closer to the original.
I had a conversation with an artist friend recently about the challenges of trying to convey the "feel" of original
paintings in photos or digital reproductions. It's frustrating, as all you artists know. Inevitably the photo, however carefully adjusted, will be a degradation of the original. Making images of the large stone paintings I've posted recently has been especially frustrating. The impact of scale of course is lost; more importantly, reproductions just can't convey the subtle yet powerful "presence" that a good painting projects. The very essence of life in the work seems to drift away like smoke. Adding to the challenge is the way that we view images online these days. Except for home TV's, which are growing increasingly theatrical in size, our digital world is shrinking. My guess is that the majority of those reading this post are viewing a thumbnail image about 1 1/2" high on a cellphone, or only slightler larger on a tablet of some sort.
This will likely sound reactionary, but the danger in this increasingly virtual world we inhabit is that in our minds the virtual can begin to supplant how we think about real life. The next time you catch yourself thinking you've "experienced" a work of art by seeing a little picture of it, remind yourself that there is probably more than meets the eye.
I had a conversation with an artist friend recently about the challenges of trying to convey the "feel" of original
paintings in photos or digital reproductions. It's frustrating, as all you artists know. Inevitably the photo, however carefully adjusted, will be a degradation of the original. Making images of the large stone paintings I've posted recently has been especially frustrating. The impact of scale of course is lost; more importantly, reproductions just can't convey the subtle yet powerful "presence" that a good painting projects. The very essence of life in the work seems to drift away like smoke. Adding to the challenge is the way that we view images online these days. Except for home TV's, which are growing increasingly theatrical in size, our digital world is shrinking. My guess is that the majority of those reading this post are viewing a thumbnail image about 1 1/2" high on a cellphone, or only slightler larger on a tablet of some sort.
This will likely sound reactionary, but the danger in this increasingly virtual world we inhabit is that in our minds the virtual can begin to supplant how we think about real life. The next time you catch yourself thinking you've "experienced" a work of art by seeing a little picture of it, remind yourself that there is probably more than meets the eye.
