Monk and Bird

I am into painting monks these days. There is a story about Buddha and a vulture. Here is the short version of it. Buddha saw a vulture chasing a pigeon for a meal. He asked the bird not to kill. The vulture said "it is easy for you to say. I need to eat meat to live". Buddha rolled up the sleeves and cut his own flesh to feed the bird. I suppose that this story is the origin of the funeral practice in Tibet where they feed birds with the flesh of the deceased.

After I drew the theme using computer software, I found a discarded canvas and a few cans of enamel paint in my garage. I just quickly painted the theme in color.

Painting Monks

Quite a while ago, I drew this realistic monk portrait describing the "un-monk-like" character of this fee collector, hired by the government, in a temple in China.
I got more interested in painting monks.
I did the second digital drawing, using Artrage software, trying to use just lines, except on his head.
I did a digital painting of a group of three monks using the same software. I used oil paint brushes, knife, crayon, pencils, eraser (on oil paint!), airbrush, etc. It is a freedom that the "physical painting" do not offer. Also, the digital layers allow me to try out different things without destroying the stuff I already painted.

It is quite fun to do them. And it takes much less effort to do these than to use the real paint. I am sending them to Costco to print out large size images and see how it looks. They also offer printing on canvas surface. I do not know whether the inks are archival quality. Perhaps not.

Understanding Chang Yu (常玉)

I having following this art critic website:
http://tw.myblog.yahoo.com/ailleurs-art/article?mid=35&prev=42&l=f&fid=5
He has strongly claimed that this Chinese artist, resided in France, is among the 15 greatest artists in the last 100 years, surpassing Picasso. Although I respect this blogger's integrity, I am not sure about this claim. So, in addition to the last exercise of painting a monk using his "lonely planet" style, I just painted this nude in his style. The purpose is trying to understand what are the essence of his art.

Again, it took me only a couple hours on my computer using Artrage software. Even though the cited blog wants to rate the artists' work mainly on the merit of moving (emotionally, spiritually,...), I am still not convinced that he is better than Picasso. I just saw Picasso's show in Seattle Art Museum. There are quite a few pieces that I was very moved. To name a few: "The Shadow" and some of the blue period work. I was also very moved by a small piece of abstracted guitar, in the tone of beautiful muddy ocher, white and black. I can not remember the title of that little Picasso. But, I was moved the same way as when I look at a good Morandi.

After I have a deeper understanding of Chang Yu's art, I would write an analysis of his work. The only drawback, perhaps a big one, is that I only have access to his work through internet. As we all know, nothing can substitute the original paintings.

Digital Homage to Chang Yu (常玉）

Saw some paintings by the Chinese painter 常玉 1910-1977 （Chang Yu). Did this monk in his "lonely planet" style using computer painting. Took only less than 2 hours. I made the painting quite large. The viewers can click at the picture to see a bit of details.

Digital Painting Studies

Did a studio drawing of a Korean-American lady. Got bored with it. Start to do a series of computer digital painting to transform it to more interesting pictures. I found it more interesting by not painting the shadow. Lighter, floating in the air.
The layering feature of the software is very useful in trying out options.
Please click on the picture to see details.

Artist Stuck

Feeling stuck like the one in the painting I just did.

Tulip Field- Quick Digital Painting

We have had very bad spring weather. Just drizzle and drizzle. Saturday was the only clear day for a long time. And the forecast for the next week is again, rain. Cathleen suggested that we drive up to Mt. Vernon to see the tulip field. We started around 10 a.m. The freeway was jam packed. There were too many like minded people. It took us more than 2 hours, normally 50 minutes, to get to the freeway exit. even when we got there, we were lining up a mile away to get off the exit. We decided to drive one more exit and to find a place for lunch. After lunch we made another attempt with equally unsuccessful outcome. We gave up and drove home, never saw a single tulip.

Today, it rains again as the weatherman promised. So, I sat on my computer and paint this picture using my painting software, just to mentally seeing the tulip field. It is kind of fun. it took me about one hour to do it.