Farm Pond Pines Summer Dawn

Farm Pond Pines Summer Dawn

Farm Pond Pines in Fall

Farm Pond Pines in Winter

Farm Pond Pines in Spring (improved over the Jan. 2 version)

I couldn't finish the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge without completing my set of Farm Pond Pines ipad paintings. This final digital version (top) is summer, which is when the original oil painting was done. I think the ipad versions look very nice together, which is where I've put them in my 30 in 30 collage, which I'll post tomorrow.

I'd like to give you some more information on digital painting before the month ends.

I first became aware of painting using an ipad when Gail Sauter and Suzanne Delesseps gave it a try. Then Peggi Kroll-Roberts posted about using it and showed us at a workshop how she used it while flying.

The most famous painter using this technology that I'm aware of, is David Hockney, routinely described as Britain’s greatest living painter. Many of this ipad paintings were shown with other work at the Royal Academy in 2012. I was a big fan of Hockney, even before he started using his ipad, but his beautiful colorful paintings of the woodlands and fields of the Yorkshire countryside are just marvelous. He uses the Brushes app, and is able to print very large versions of his ipad paintings. I'm going to look into that, since I can't do that from the ipad with ArtRage. And it's wonderful that with today's printing technology, we can buy the book from this exhibit on amazon for the price of a hardback novel. I was given it for Christmas, and it's beautiful and fascinating.

I want to thank Bill Tomsa for this reference: the Digital Plein air Society. These guys are doing some really impressive work digitally, some quite photo-realistic, and others very painterly. They'll even show you how to make a set up that will let you use your tablet outside in the sun, without glare. Do check it out.

And finally, my take on ipad painting. One of the most important things about learning to paint, is learning to see (beyond what non-painters see). Painting using an ipad requires the same see-ing, and is a great way to exercise that skill. For me this month, it's enabled me to practice my skills during a time when I was committed to spend most of it without a paint brush. I know it's helped me keep my hand it, and it was a lot of fun. Thanks for joining me.