Shoosty Landscapes 2020-2021
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veryone loves vast vistas, ocean breezes, mountain passes, boulders, trees, big sky, and just being out with nature, especially if you are an artist with your materials ready to go. In September 2019, I retired from working with my family after 43 years. A few months later the Covid pandemic struck and the world went into a spiral. Once things settled down, I was ready to get outside and enjoy na- ture, so I bought my first small van. It has two beds, a full kitchen, and a bathroom. I got on the road with my wife, Diane. We drove from Florida to Colorado. There is nothing like touring in a van. It’s slow and the seats are up high. It’s perfect for touring. I also picked up a pair of eBikes which completes the journey in a way I never thought possible. Those bikes give you the freedom of the last mile or two, effortlessly. You can ride up mountains, or around a city after parking far enough away from traffic that you are still only minutes away from downtown. Plus, the eBike has panniers that can be filled with all sorts of materials, including; all my art supplies; a small chair; and canvas. In anticipation of the tour, I went to the art store and bought some Derwent Inktense Pencils. They are highly saturated watercolor pen- cils. Those pencils made all the difference in the works that follow. With them, I could experiment and have great control. A few years prior, I also started using an Ipad Pro with the Apple pencil. Back then, I started using a pixel-based app, called Artrage and focused on it until I understood almost every feature. It’s a great app. My 2016 was so prolific it forms two volumes. My 2018-2019 work is filled with finished pieces from this app. After a while, it left me feeling like I want- ed more. I kept downloading apps and finally stumbled upon Affinity Designer, a professional art-making tool par excellence. Its main focus is vector illustrations. I still use traditional tools as you will see, but when I take them into the digital realm the results are magical.
INTRODUCING THE ADVENT OF VECTOR PAINTING
IPENCIL
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