daveinaz

While I prefer to use my own photos as a source of inspiration, there is something intangible about the images I have collected in my favorites that I find visually intoxicating. When I look at these photos,  I feel a mixed sense of longing, hope, and desire. Desire sets action aflame, and for me that means that I want to experience the image as a painter.  As a painter, my sense of longing is excited by the enjoyment of the image - the intimate process of creating a painting layer by layer. Artistically, this is the gentle touch of the Muse. Scientifically, these collective works are like an illicit drug shooting Dopamine directly into the

You may have noticed that the majority of my photographs are heavily manipulated.  While the purist photographers among you may cringe at the practice, it is important to keep in mind that my images were created to inspire my paintings.  The ability to control saturation, blur, contrast and brightness allows me to create the perfect reference for a blank canvas. Historically, I have used cheap, simple tools to manipulate my photos.  A very good friend of mine just referenced my use of my iPhone in his recent book on B&W photography.  He actually referenced me as "his artist friend" - a nice validation of my hobby.  If you have an iPhone, I h

I just finished Seeds of Electra in Oil.  Original photo by me :-)   This is the first time I have painted one of my own photos. I feel like I have taken a major step as an artist.  However, it helps to have a Nikon D90.  That camera is amazing. I am absolutely fascinated by the process of recreating photos with shallow depth of field in oils - my own form of photorealism.  I think the effect is beautiful. I am still working on my technique, but I am making progress. I hope you enjoy. More to come.