Shape Shifting Perspectives

posted in: Blog, Uncategorized | 8

If you and I were to go back to the earliest purposeful distortions of linear perspective we would look at ancient Greece and the construction of the Parthenon. The designers knew that the building could appear longer if the viewer … Continued

Directing Sunlight

posted in: Blog | 14

Landscape artists of the 17th century fell under the spell of the mysteries offered through directed sunlight and shadow. The painting surface became a platform for theatrical stage lighting. It would influence later stage sets and their illumination just as … Continued

Mapping Light, Finding Edges

posted in: Blog | 1

Mapping cities was one of the earliest modes for picturing them. From the Tang dynasty of ancient China to European concepts of ideal cities in the early Italian Renaissance we have pictured cities as we conceive and desire them to … Continued

Waves and Distant Shores

posted in: Blog | 4

In the 17th Century the Dutch enjoyed a golden age in commerce and art. Rembrandt  contributed importantly to this period.  He explored new ideas in painting and printmaking.  Among his experiments were new compositions for landscapes such as example 1. … Continued

Challenge Your Skills

posted in: Blog | 2

NPR recently reported on studies in creativity as presented in recent TED talks. One interesting discovery was that artists (musicians, painters etc) can fall into comfortable repeated patterns relying on unchallenged skills for success.  But, by challenging those patterns and … Continued

Analytical Painting

posted in: Blog | 6

In “Thinking Fast and Slow”, Nobel Laureate Daniel Kahneman considers how we make decisions, fast and slow. Fast decisions are easy, quick and driven by habit and convention. Slow thinking requires mental work and the brain prefers the easier path.  … Continued