Tulips (Photography, Painting, and Electronics)

Watched a dvd on the British artist David Hockney (I think it's called "a Bigger Picture") with my blipper painter friend Mikeday. It made us both want to get out there in Plein air with brush and paint! I've admired him since the 70s when I first saw his california paintings of swimming pools and art collectors.(many done from photographs) After that he did some pictures made of small photographs which all fit together -sort of. I always liked these. Recently he moved back to Yorkshire where he was born and decided to paint landscapes in Plein air - outside - in freezing cold, wind and snow or sun (looking at blips from there this year makes me wonder if he isn't staying inside the studio now) and FORGET ALL ABOPUT THE CAMERA and photographs which according to him couldn't come close to revealing the real landscape like paint can. (and" landscape painting is NOT dead".) And for the first time he allowed movies made of him working. When he messed up a canvas, put the tree in the wrong place, his assistant just took that canvas away and gave him a new one. (How cool is that?)
Then he got the idea to make humongous plein air paintings, with many canvases (up to 50!) put together to make one image. He couldn't ever see them all together at one time so HE HAD PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN OF THEM and put them on the computer so he could see them together. These were made for an exhibition at the royal Academy of Art over a year ago. Link to this show A Bigger Picture. I find that very interesting - can't stay away from technology. Which brings up the ipad drawings/paintings he has been doing and showing lately - he uses an ipad app called Brushes and the shows have been with electronic devices /ipads/ or he's printed them large. Here's a link to his first North American show at the Royal Ontario Museum. Fresh flowers
The app I had is called Artstudio and I know this is a bit lame but here's a quickie sketch done with it of my tulips that I planted in front of our condo for the first time ever, and from which I am getting enormous pleasure! And a photo of them. It's quite fun to play with - I did read one review that assured folks that just because they had the app doesn't mean their drawings will turn out like David Hockney! duh.:-)
There are tons of references to David Hockney and his art out there and I didn't mean to make this a long story -you can google David Hockney iPad paintings.... I was just thinking the interconnectness of photography, painting, and the computer these days is fascinating, inspiring, and endless. I think Mike and I need to get out there with all 3.

And for those who wondered, Fiona seemed fine today. she does have a good sense of humor but I really didn't think she was up to April fool's jokes. :-)