SFMOMA Tickets

At the beginning of the third millennium CE, people still disengage from the network to do things in so-called real time. Colorfully printed strips of paper such as these afford entry to places of recreation and amusement.

Picasso: Seated Woman Poster

Now through the end of the month you have time to see Picasso and American Art, a San Francisco exhibit showing Picasso’s influence on contemporaneous American artists. On view are a range of works from Picasso to Pollack.

Allow me to interpret this painting, since the subject may not be obvious. In it, the artist tenderly embraces a seated model. That’s Picasso’s head in profile, on the right. Get it? No?

Cubist Study

I was able to capture one photo, before security dutifully advised me that taking pictures was not allowed! I believe this study was done in 1906-1907, around the time of Les Demoiselles d’Avignon. The influence of Cézanne is apparent. Picasso had transitioned to cubism, and it was works such as these that introduced him into American consciousness.

Digital Media on Canvas

This is my largest artwork to date, 48"x36" digital media on canvas. Here you see the print, prior to mounting on a frame. At this point, it has been coated to protect it against humidity. The printer ink is "archival" and the clear coating is "non-yellowing." Like artists of the past, who used the materials of their day, I can only hope the work withstands time.

Work safely

The posts tagged "grunge" are about the hands-on aspect of this blog, whether software "hacks" or, in this case, just plain getting my hands dirty.

I use a painter’s mask when applying the coating. Although this blog is not a DYI, those who wish to follow in my footsteps are advised to take precautions when handling the materials of their craft. What you cannot see really can hurt you. Take care of yourself and your environment.

Escher exhibit at San Jose Museum of Art

The recent Escher exhibit in Silicon Valley afforded a rare opportunity to see not only famous prints, but also sketches and intermediate pressings that revealed how the Dutch master created his illusions. Escher’s multi-dimensional Relativity was on display.

Study for Relativity

This sketch was not one of those on view, it is from a rare book. (The museum confiscated my camera at the door.)

There are three vanishing points and three different ground planes in this environment. The floor of one world is a wall or ceiling in another, a door or window becomes a trap-door.

Although it looks strange, people who enjoy 3D computer modeling can re-create it. In fact, somebody made one out of Lego.

Iteration enlarged to 48×36

Over the next few weeks I will be showing you the process of creating an all-digital art print. We liked the Iteration piece, and noticed that you on the Web liked it too. So, I will be making a 48"x36" canvas.

At this point, I am working with uncompressed, multi-megabyte data files, and in my experience, even the world’s fastest computers feel like they slow down. (Now you know why it took a while to post.)

To convert a file that looks good on the Internet into a file that looks good as a large-scale print, you will not get satisfactory results if all you do is enlarge it. Compare right and left above. These are small cut-outs of the Iteration print, blown-up or enlarged. You need to look at these away from your computer, as if you were looking at an artwork on the wall. The cut-out on the right may look a little blurred.

The cut-out on the left has been digitally "sharpened." You might notice "halos", particularly in the red areas. If I were printing on paper, these artifacts would show up. However, my target medium is canvas, and the ink tends to "bleed". So, the "halos" should go away, and the final image should look sharper than it would have, if I had not compensated. We’ll see.