Creativity is not a one-person show. We tend to believe creativity as something deep inside of us ready to come out like a jack in the box at any given moment. This is not true. Our genius is in the connections we make to both humans and our work. We need supporting roles around us at all times.
As an artist, people tend to think of me as "a one man show." But it's not true, I have a huge supporting cast. Yes, I work alone from start to finish on my piece. But, in between it's creation, in between each piece-- it's all my acquaintances, friends, and family that help steer my creativity with their feedback. Creativity is choosing to connect these dots and choosing the right dots to get to a final image. Here is one of my last pieces. It started out as a oregon beach scene with a couple looking out at the sunset. It became a comical caribou with sunglasses. I simply connected the dots of feedback and came out with something different that makes me laugh. Enjoy!
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I'm now in season 3 of "Breaking Bad." I'm totally addicted to this meth based tv product. I love the character development, the moral dilemnas, and the constant intensity that follows Walt.
This last piece is my homage to the series. The family vacations on the Winnebago also brings back great memories to me. Ours wasn't a meth lab, but there wad definitely some great drama that was cooked up! Enjoy all! This was a really fun commission. They basically wanted the end of a vw bug. It had to be blue, fun, and preferably at the beach. An ideal request:)
I hate that as we grow older our colors begin to fade away It’s as if reality begins to shade us. Darken us. Fade us out. Our lives get devoured by disappointment, disillusionment and the dreariness of responsibility. What once was so vibrant and clear becomes faded and hazy. It's like our lives don’t "pop" like they use to. The contrast diminishes. The saturation lost. Our amazement and awe of the world becomes fear and duty. The living side becomes more like the dying side. And it seems like with every new phase of our lives our color schemes seem to dissipate. The relationships between the colors can become almost ghostly. What once was an innocent, sweet, colorful palette can easily have become a mundane, muted and monotone one.
I need salvation everyday from this dreaded colorless curse. As an artist, I've realized that color is everything—for me literally and figuratively. What if as an artist, I began to lose the ability to differentiate or even see the colors of the spectrum? I would become blind to my trade, and my purpose lost. Our personal visions can become fuzzy grey. Grey is not a bad color, but it's not the most wonderful color to experience all the time. All colors have their place in this world and in our lives, but when everything turns blue, or black & white, then we’ve forgotten something. We’ve lost the whole palette which is what makes us colorful. My challenge to all: Check your palette. Is life even fun anymore? Is it colorful? Does each color create a relationship with another so that you're left with a beautiful picture? This picture grabbed my attention this morning. Stephanie is one of my favorite Etsy artists: Her color schemes are magical. Her pieces are simple precise and a bit whimsy. Check her out here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/stephanielevy?ref=seller_info Recently, I've been playing with words on my own prints with photoshop. I haven't decided if I'm going to keep doing this or not...but I do like adding words to make my paintings change conceptually.
Check it out these two: I took this picture in Maine this last summer. I couldn't resist. He was so charming and cute. This week I'm transforming this into a piece and thought it would be cool to share my process. Here is stage 1: The inspiration photo. Below is an example of the inspiration photo and the final piece I did with my daughter Asher. Inspiration photoFinal pieceMy inspiration for my last piece came from my favorite childhood author: Oh! The Places You’ll Go! by the incomparable Dr. Seuss Congratulations! Today is your day. You’re off to Great Places! You’re off and away! You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go. **this is just the beginning...It's never too late to pick up Dr. Seuss**** This last weekend was a busy one. My family and I loaded up the truck and participated in both the Cherrywood Art Fair and Gallery Black Lagoon's Showing. The art blocks I make were a great success. We also sold many originals. And I think the most fun was meeting all the artists and trading art at the end. My little girls did a great job being my worker elves and managed to take home some incredible handmade art as well. Here's a some newbies I finished recently: "Santa Cruise "Reservoir Lobsters (Mr. Pink, Mr. Red, & Mr. Teal)Retro Music Series: "Mix Tape" & "Put a Needle on the Record" |
Danny PhillipsProviding Beach art, nostalgic art, retro art, and coastal art. Archives
June 2014
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