digdougsart blog

Tonight I attended that last of four workshop seminars on “How to be a Successful Artist.”   We heard alot of talk about how to deal with galleries.   The one thing that really made me laugh was the analogy, “Pack plenty of ammo.”  Oh my god this is hilarious!  I could just picture myself walking into a gallery mumbling to myself, “crap I didn’t pack enough ammo.”  I can then picture, the director of the gallery overhearing me and then putting into to motion a chain of events that would lead to me being jailed over a terroristic threat, plot to destroy property,  and  the infamous  headline in the Austin American Statesman.  “Man has  Art-attack :  plot to kill an entire gallery staff.  And last but not least, would be my mug shots, which by this point  I have  decided to go along ith the whole idea that I am a crazy, deranged artist on a warpath.  After all everyone loves a good psycho artist.  Which reminds me have you hugged your artist today?

mug shot #2

I just wanted to show you a few pics of my painting AfterGlow that I am putting the finishing touches on.  Mainly the detail work or what I call the muscle of the tree.  This is because that’s what I was going for this time on entire body of the tree.  A look of the tree flexing its muscles as it reaches towards the heavens.

I recently ordered several Giclees to sell and display at various places around town.  A Giclees is basically a reproduction on canvas, to put it in simple terms.  Below is a more detailed description.

A giclee (zhee-CLAY) is a  high-resolution reproduction.  Giclees are produced from digital scans of  artwork.   Giclee prints  are coveted by collectors for their fidelity and quality, and relished by galleries and artists  because they so accurately reflect the original piece of art.

With that said I thought I would post a few pics so you could see what they look like.  The Giclees that I  have printed up have what is called a gallery wrap with a mirrored edge.  Meaning that the painting wraps all the way around the entire canvas  edges and all.  It’s called mirrored ege  because the edge is the reverse of the image on the front edge of the canvas.  With my work  it especially creates a very eye popping result.  But don’t take my word for it, come to my One-man  show on Oct. 23 at Joie De Vie salon.   6-9pm, complimentary drinks and snacks, along with a DJ spinning hits and lots of art, Giclees included.

On a side note I offer all of my work as 8X10 prints, 16×20 prints, and Giclees.  So if you see a painting on my website that says sold, that does not mean it is gone forever.  It just means you have other options to buy that image in other formats such as those listed above.

Giclee pic of "Electric Night"

Hope to see you at the show.

Looking forward to my upcoming show.  Hope you all can make it.  I will be there with my ears healed and fine art to start off another year as a 39yr old.   So stop on by if you have some time. Thanks Doug

One-man art show and happy hour

A couple of weeks ago I started to attend a seminar hosted by a couple of artists. One of the things they wanted us to do was to write down in detail what our life would look like 5 yrs from now in terms of what a perfect day or nightwith your art would be.  Down to every detail like what car did you drive to the event, what would you be wearing, who would be there at the event or gallery show, whatever that success might be 5 yrs from now.  At the end of my first post I said this—– “By this time next week I “will know what that perfect evening as a successful artist will be down to the shirt and shoes I will be wearing.  And when I do I will post that perfect evening.  I hope you can join me next week for my detailed post and also join me when my IDEA becomes my REALITY!—–  Well its been two weeks and I have attended the third of four sessions.  And so far I have not been able to visualize what that day would be like for me.  Or at least not in detail.  That is until this very moment while writing it down that it came to me.   I can imagine is that it would be at night inside a gallery with white walls, bright lights and multiple giant size paintings in black and white.  My beautiful wife laughing and talking to the people standing next to us.  I also visualize our kids being there in some capacity, although I can not seeing them physically.  I know what my wife would look like.   She would have her hair put up in a sort of punk rock/ Gwen Steffani hair do with a black top that resembled one of my galaxy like paintings. In her hand would be a glass of white wine.  In mine hopefully a pint of black oak stout.  I can see myself in full on artist mode as far as attitude and appearance.  I would be wearing a western sort of button up shirt, long sleeve with a cool print on  the back of some sort of rock n roll feel to it.  My hair would be some sort of funky look to it and I would once again be wearing my earing.  And hand made silver braclets matching my silver toe cowboy boots with hand stiched design to look like a Van Gogh “Starry Night,” painting.   Grey blue jeans and pink framed glasses with style.  Outside the gallery would these big giant windows offering a view to the inside of night.  On one wall would bricks and maybe even a DJ spinning some tunes.  Here’s the weird thing sometimes I see myself outside of the gallery looking in almost in 3rd person or an outer body experience.  Outside on the curb 2 spots down would be parked my Volvo, dark black with some sporty red pinstripe down the middle of the car.  I know the night be rich in color and vibrancy of life.  I even have a feeling that it would be in California or possibly some foreign destination.  So there it is in a nutshell.  That’s what a perfect night would be for me with a successful art career.  Oh and did I mention the show would be sold out:)

Recently we went to pick up my daughters flower girl dress for my wife’s cousins wedding.  Inside the store where we were having it altered were several spools of thread on a pegboard.  I just loved the geometric shapes and all the different colors that were present.

  I reminded me of one of the latest paintings that I am working on called “Chasing the Dragons Tail,”  mainly because I am trying to push the color envelope and see how many different colors I can get into one painting while still having a working composition.  Here are some pics of the spools of thread and the painting in progress.

So I pulled a Van Gogh today as I decided it was time to cut my own hair.  Yeah you can see where this is going.  Let me just say I did not decide to cut my hair out of a love a woman but, more so over my madness that my hair was causing me to feel. 

 First I get out the clippers and buzz around the sides of my head and back of my head.  With a #4 guard  Second I slice off the tops of my hairs with scissors like a madman, going for that punk rock slash sheep sheared look.  Third its time to even it all out with the clippers again.  Finally, well its time to trim around the ears. Ouch, $*#!U&_$*&&!!!%%$#$###$@&&!&.    Let me just say I’m glad I did not have anything to drink before I started cutting my hair. I didn’t feel anything at first but then I saw blood.  Ok maybe not enough to name my new hair style, “Van Gogh Go,” but at least now I know what a mad man can do 

with a pair of scissors and some clippers.  These are the best photos I could take by myself.  To hard to get the tops of ears but trust me it hurt.

The painting you see below is one that was started from the excess paint in my tray.  In between working on my other paintings.  I use one or two canvases to use up my leftover paint from my main paintings.  The beauty of this is two fold, one I recycle most of my paint and two it allows me to be totally free on the subject matter.  That is until I start to pull things out of the painting and then well its time to start another excess painting.

Tonight I attended a seminar, on “How to be Successful with an Art Career,” by Edward Povey,  and DL Tolar.  It felt good to be around other artists and to have the chance to learn something new.  There were several things that struck a chord with me on this cool Austin evening.  One of things Edward said was to imagine what your life as a successful artist looks like, down to every detail on one particular evening.  This also goes along with something a friend recently said to me.  “Think about what level you are on now and think about level you want to be on.  Then figure out what things you need to do to get to that new level.”  I think both of these points can help me to figure out exactly where I currently am with my art and where I want to go.  By doing so its like putting the dominoes into motion.  Making the idea a reality, pulling that idea out of thin air and putting it down onto my figurative canvas.  By this time next week I will know what that perfect evening as a successful artist will be down to the shirt and shoes I will be wearing.  And when I do I will post that perfect evening.  I hope you can join me next week for my detailed post and also join me when my IDEA becomes my REALITY!

Tell me what woud be your perfect evening of SUCCESS would be?