works of wanderlust

of cool thoughts.
It’s been hot outside. Isn’t that typical of us? Complaining in the winter that it’s too cold then complaining in the summer that it’s too hot. Maybe there is some kind of philosophical mindset we all need to embrace about living in the moment and being happy with where and when we currently are.

I opted to embrace cool thoughts in the heat wave, and painted a winter scene (a second attempt of my last watercolour class project) using cool colours.

Also I tend to be a guy that overuses colours and underuses brushes. I’ll use too many conflicting tones and shades, fail to mix them appropriately and then slap them all on using the same brush.

Instead, I tried to use few colours and more brushes for this piece.

In fact, I only used one colour, a big sloppy bowl of blue (with some red mixed in) and about five different brushes of various sizes and styles including rounds, flats and even a rigger. One colour, five brushes. Talk about taking things in the opposite direction, eh?

The first attempt at this painting was in class and was all about colour:

Lots of colours and just two brushes. (Also we used a tracing transfer technique for the base image, where I freehanded the second one, so the first attempt is closer to the reference photo, but who’s counting, huh?)

See the difference?

tonal monochromatics

Call me strange, but I've always loved monochrome images. Black and white. Sepia. Whatever. I went through a phase in my photography days where one of the custom settings on my mode-select dial was strictly set to take medium-contrast black and white digital images, so that I could just spin that knob over to C1 and be snapping artsy-fartsy moody shots whenever the mood struck. Now that I'm a little more comfortable in my watercolour skin it has become increasingly obvious to me that the layering technique I've been using to add texture and shadow and shape and depth with colours is not only a great way to make monochromatic images (such as the feature image in this post created exclusively with a single shade of blue) but it is in fact simpler than painting with colour. Why? Because it's literally the same technique, but instead of carefully planning and mixing and finding the right hue, you just keep painting with the blue. I love it.

All this technique-dabbling, though, is really just me prepping for three weeks in Europe this summer and thinking about how to capture that trip in a variety of styles and moods. Snapshot mages full of colour, architectural loose sketches, or old buildings and wobbly streets brought to life in tones and simple palettes.

All of it is opening a broadening scope of artistic opportunity for me to keep figuring stuff out.
June 8, 2023
of transcending realities.

While everyone else is lamenting the creep of artificial intelligence into our lives, I took a different tactic and asked ChatGTP for some advice on how to become a time travelling, intergalactic artist.

She told me the following

A time-travelling artist would have a unique perspective and the ability to draw inspiration from various eras and cultures throughout history. Their art would likely reflect a fusion of different styles, techniques, and themes from different time periods. Here are a few possibilities:

Temporal Collages: The artist might create intricate collages that combine images, symbols, and motifs from different historical periods. They could juxtapose Renaissance figures with futuristic elements or mix ancient hieroglyphics with modern typography, creating visually stunning compositions that bridge the gaps between time.

Anachronistic Portraits: The artist could paint portraits of individuals or characters from different time periods, placing them in unexpected contexts. For example, they might depict a medieval knight wearing futuristic armor or a Victorian lady using a smartphone. These portraits would challenge conventional notions of time and invite viewers to question their assumptions.

Time-Lapse Sculptures: Using various materials and techniques, the artist could create sculptures that convey the passage of time. They might craft a piece that starts with a primitive form and gradually transforms into a contemporary or futuristic design, showcasing the evolution of artistic styles and cultural influences over time.

Chronological Installations: A time-travelling artist might construct immersive installations that take viewers on a journey through time. They could recreate iconic historical settings or architectural wonders, incorporating interactive elements that allow visitors to experience different eras firsthand. Through these installations, the artist would blur the boundaries between past, present, and future.

Time-Based Performance Art: The artist could engage in performances that involve temporal manipulation. They might use multimedia techniques, such as projections or virtual reality, to transport audiences to different time periods or simulate time travel experiences. These performances would be a fusion of theater, visual art, and technological innovation.

Ultimately, the kind of art a time-traveling artist would create is limited only by their imagination and their ability to explore and assimilate artistic expressions from various points in time.

Art that transcends multiple dimensions of reality would be highly conceptual and abstract, challenging traditional notions of space, time, and perception. It would explore the boundaries of our understanding and offer glimpses into realms beyond our immediate senses. Here are a few possible manifestations of such art:

Multidimensional Sculptures: The artist could create sculptures that go beyond the three-dimensional realm, incorporating additional dimensions into their designs. These sculptures might have intricate geometries, impossible shapes, or paradoxical structures that suggest the existence of hidden dimensions.

Hyperdimensional Paintings: Using a combination of techniques, the artist could create paintings that convey a sense of depth and movement across multiple dimensions. They might incorporate optical illusions, fractal patterns, or distorted perspectives to evoke a feeling of traversing different realities.

Augmented Reality Installations: The artist could merge physical and digital realities by incorporating augmented reality (AR) technology into their installations. Viewers wearing AR devices or using smartphones could interact with virtual objects and creatures that exist in parallel dimensions, blurring the boundaries between the real and the imagined.

Quantum-inspired Art: Drawing inspiration from quantum physics and the strange phenomena it describes, the artist could create artworks that explore concepts like superposition, entanglement, and wave-particle duality. These artworks might incorporate elements of randomness, uncertainty, and indeterminacy to challenge our perception of reality.

Mind-Bending Visual Experiences: Through the use of advanced projection techniques, lighting effects, and immersive environments, the artist could create experiences that manipulate perception and transport viewers to altered states of consciousness. These experiences might involve illusions of infinite space, shifting dimensions, or non-Euclidean geometries.

The art that transcends multiple dimensions of reality would aim to push the boundaries of human understanding and challenge our preconceived notions of what is possible. It would invite viewers to contemplate the mysteries of existence and open their minds to new possibilities beyond the constraints of our everyday experiences.

An intergalactic sketch artist would have a vast universe of inspiration at their fingertips. Their art would reflect the diversity and wonders of different galaxies, celestial phenomena, and extraterrestrial life forms. Here are a few possibilities for the kind of art an intergalactic sketch artist might create:

Alien Portraits: The artist could sketch detailed and imaginative portraits of extraterrestrial beings from various planets and civilizations. These portraits would capture the unique features, anatomy, and characteristics of these alien life forms, showcasing their diversity and otherworldly beauty.

Cosmic Landscapes: The intergalactic sketch artist might create breathtaking sketches of cosmic landscapes, capturing the grandeur of nebulae, star clusters, and distant galaxies. These sketches could convey the ethereal colors, swirling formations, and celestial phenomena that exist in the vastness of space.

Intergalactic Travel Scenes: The artist could sketch scenes of spacecraft and interstellar travel, depicting futuristic vessels navigating through wormholes, traversing asteroid belts, or landing on distant planets. These sketches would evoke a sense of adventure, exploration, and the vastness of the cosmos.

Interactions with Alien Cultures: The artist might depict scenes of intercultural encounters between humans and alien species. These sketches could showcase the exchange of ideas, technologies, and perspectives, bridging the gaps between different civilizations and fostering a sense of intergalactic unity.

Abstract Cosmic Concepts: The intergalactic sketch artist might explore abstract concepts related to the nature of the universe, such as wormholes, black holes, quantum physics, or multiverse theories. Through their sketches, they could visually represent these complex ideas in a captivating and thought-provoking manner.

Extraterrestrial Fauna and Flora: The artist could sketch extraordinary and alien plant and animal life forms that inhabit distant planets. These sketches would push the boundaries of imagination, presenting bizarre and fantastical creatures that thrive in unique ecosystems beyond Earth.

Galactic Mythologies and Symbols: The intergalactic sketch artist might create sketches that depict the mythologies and symbols of different extraterrestrial civilizations. These sketches could showcase the rich narratives, legends, and belief systems that shape the cultural fabric of these alien worlds.

The art of an intergalactic sketch artist would offer a glimpse into the vastness and diversity of the cosmos, transporting viewers to realms beyond our own. It would spark curiosity, ignite the imagination, and inspire a sense of wonder about the possibilities that exist beyond our home planet.

....so, that's something to think about, huh?

June 7, 2023
Fire Smoke

We’ve been routinely waking up to the smell of campfire, and not in a good way.

Last year I had this idea of creating a video series to accompany this site, and I actually produced a couple early episodes, where I would have a sit around a campfire — maybe in my backyard, maybe in the woods, or maybe in a park somewhere where you can do that sort of thing — crack a beverage, cook some food, and enjoy the mood.

That channel would have been on hiatus this month because there is a number of cascading fire bans in place all around me. No open flames. No solid fuel fires. No burning of any kind.

Why?

The hot and dry conditions, strange for May, have resulted in an early and angry wildfire season.

My phone pings with alerts routinely noting local evacuation watches for small zones just outside of the city, people being told to be ready to run because a fire is looming close enough to their rural homes that they may be in danger at the whim of the wind direction.

Inside the city we’re relatively safe, though there have been a couple of major house & yard fires that have resulted in multiple adjacent properties in our suburbs burning out of control.

So. Fire ban.

Don’t burn anything.

Yet, as relatively protected as we are here, there is one aspect to wildfires that won’t be stopped by meandering rivers or highways breaking the burn. The smokey air goes where it pleases, and so as the atmosphere fills with particulate carbon, ash, and who knows what other dangerous chemicals (formerly trees) that poof into the sky as wildfires rage, that smoke swirls into and descends on the whole province, city, town, and rural land alike, and makes for a gloomy (as my kid would put it, post-apocalyptic) atmosphere… literally.

Small beans, I know, compared to the loss of property and ecology that is happening just over the horizon, but I’ve been attempting to train for a marathon these last few months. My runs have been getting longer and more intense. The volume of air I need to suck into my still recovering-from-COVID lungs is increasing by the workout. This becomes a ridiculously frustrating calculation as the days press on and I skip a few sessions here and there citing air quality and the inverse effects of training in smoke. Again, small beans in the grand schemes, but it does make me think about the impact on anyone who isn’t a mostly healthy middle aged man, someone with compromised health, asthma or whatever. If it’s too bad for me, it’s really bad for many more.

The weather spirits need to summon us a week of rain to quench the fires and wash the smoke out of the air, and no one is too sure if that will happen.

May 20, 2023
garden boxing

I take a few months off blogging and, woops! There goes all the news and activities piling up.

I upended my vegetable garden.

Well, not literally, I guess.

When we moved into the house I was resolute on the idea of devoting a chunk of the yard to a vegetable garden. It was a family thing. My parents had a huge garden. Both sets of my grandparents were avid gardeners. My in-laws have a huge garden. My wife’s grandparents lived in their garden and even maintained a second one on their old farmstead after they moved into town. It seemed like gardening was almost hereditary.

So we devoted a full third of our backyard to a plot of black soil and for a solid decade tended, cared, enhanced, refined and evolved it into a pretty respectable garden plot.

I don’t know why it slipped, but it eventually did.

It’s been five years since we’ve had a respectable harvest from our respectable garden plot.

Invasive weeds. Mice eat all the carrot tops. Wasps took over our lettuce patch last year. The potatoes seem to have given up completely as fewer come out of the ground than go in as seeds.

I didn’t want to call it quits, but I decided last fall that I needed a rethink.

The rethink came in the form of a raised garden box.

I built a square box (atop where the old box-bed had sat, which I demolished) out of 4×6 by eight foot treated posts stacked three tall. I lined it with mesh and recycled cardboard. I filled it with a blend of salvaged soil (from lowering the grade slightly around the box), peat, and free compost from the City’s green-waste composting program. Around the box I’ll grow in the grass as a lawn, but all good things in time. As for the box itself:

I mixed and raked it.

I irrigated it.

I hung up some stuff to startle the magpies.

And I planted a few tomatoes, a couple peppers, a squash, a bunch of carrots, beets, lettuce and a scattering of radishes.

It’s May long weekend, the weekend in Canada when all good gardeners are fully planted for the season. I’m fully planted. Does that make me a good gardener again?

May 19, 2023
in a dimly lit space.
Not only have I been thinking of all the new things I can do with the skills I’ve learned in my watercolour class, but I’ve been thinking such thoughts in the context of our upcoming trip to Europe where (so I’ve heard) there are plenty of neat things to sketch and paint.

Of course there are.

I made a trip to the art store last night, and when the “dude” at the counter asked me if he could help me find anything, I lied and said I was “just browsing” but looking to stock up on some stuff for a trip I was taking.

In fact, I was in the market for a higher quality “smallish” brush, something akin to the blended squirrel brushes I’ve bought for my class but in a 2 or 4 size, versus a 12, so it’s y’know more handy for small format, travel urban sketchies in a moleskine versus big large format watercolours that we’ve been tackling in class.

I ended up leaving almost empty handed, just one tube of white gouache (which I’ve been eyeing for a few months now) and a mid-grade synthetic brush size 4 that caught my eye and for which I thought I’d give it a try.

framing devices

I saw a clever use of taping that has struck me as a great framing method for my upcoming "travel journal" sketches: the faux photo look. Tape off a roughly 2:3 proportional rectangle, about the size and shape you might see in an old point-and-click photo style from the 90s, setting it slightly askew on the page. Paint, keeping into but filling completely the bounds of the box you've created with the tape. Remove tape, and then with a ruler and either fineliner or fine-nibbed pen draw a border with a small white margin around the painted area. Add some incidental shading on a couple of the outer edges of your ink box, and voila! A faux photo on the page.

I was browsing on one of the socials this morning and that white gouache was stuck in my craw, because a neat little astronomy photo as the header for some article about sciencey-stuff quickly found it’s ways a screencap into my photo library and from there as the inspiration to apply some groovy cloud techniques into a solar view technique and…

Night sky.

Spatter some white gouache to finish it off and…

Well, if you showed me this pic a year ago and told me I’d painted it I’d be as surprised as anyone.
May 18, 2023

blog.8r4d.com

Ah. Some blog, huh?

I’ve been writing meandering drivel for decades, but here you’ll find all my posts on writing, technology, art, food, adventure, running, parenting, and overthinking just about anything and everything since early 2021.

In fact, I write regularly from here in the Canadian Prairies about just about anything that interest me.

Enjoy!

Blogging 404,290 words in 533 posts.

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