New Posts

I have some new posts over at the new blog site, www.journal.donthacker.com (or go directly to www.donthacker.com).

Hope to see you there.

Don

I’ve Moved!

First, thank you to all who read my blog.

Second, I’ve moved the site. I’m revamping www.donthacker.com. Be careful if you go there, it is still under construction. But all the links will point you to the new blog. Or you can go to http://journal.donthacker.com. to go there directly.

See you at the new place!

Good Morning

I got up this morning before work to do a quick 5×7 sketch at nearby Freedom Park. Unfortunately, it rained and I had to pick it up and go home before I even got started. I guess Mother Nature was teasing me after my last post.

So I spent 15 minutes and finished this off at home from memory. It was a great way to start off the day. Between the walk and the painting, I start off energized. I’ll be doing more of these as the daylight expands.

Gimme Shelter

Mother Nature really doesn’t think much about painters. It is as if her astounding beauty is worth all the crap she can throw at you as you try to enjoy it. As I’ve written in several posts, she likes to present all kind of obstacles to you when you paint. As if painting wasn’t challenging enough. Well, I got the best of her this week.

I’m getting married in June at really cool antebellum mansion turned B&B called Madison Oaks in Madison, GA. In conjunction with the event, I’m going to do several paintings of the place. With encouragement by Madison Oaks (thanks Melinda!), I’m going to produce prints and postcards of the series.

This weekend was my first opportunity since the Spring leaves came out to paint there. However, the forecast called for rain. I already got rained out of camping last weekend due to rain, so I wasn’t going to take this without a fight. I can’t really get upset, as we need the rain, and a nice wet Spring is very helpful to my subject matter. The task at hand is how painting and the elements can coexist. So I did some research and got a Kelty Sunshade. I set it up in Freedom Park and sprayed it with waterproof spray. I was completely jazzed as I now had another weapon in my arsenal of painting in nature. I was now hoping it would rain.

The Sunshade worked perfectly.  A nice tent with a great view and room enough for Kate to sit and chat with me while I worked. It is great to have the option, as I have been wanting to paint mountain landscapes in early morning light rains  when the atmosphere is so exaggerated. It will also come in handy as a sunshade when I return to the desert or paint at the beach.

So even though it showered off and on, I knocked off my first of several  Madison Oaks paintings. I already see several things I want to modify in this one as well as watch out for next time. And there will be a next time, come rain or shine.

Now I only need some sort of way to paint in high winds….

In A Lone Star State

On March 6th, I went back to the scene of the crime. Yes, I went back to Dallas for a weekend visit. It was too quick, but I packed a lot of great things in. First, I met up with several folks from the old gang at Sal’s. Back when Dave Brown and Steve Armes hosted the infamous Friday Night Group at Synapse Studios, we ate at Sal’s every Friday night after the drawings session. The first time I visited the group, way back in 1996, we went to Sal’s. And again 9 out of 10 Fridays for the next decade. So it was the perfect way to start out my reunion tour.

Then on Saturday I went to Lisa’s Dr Sketchy group (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=404819105) where Ruby Rocket was the model. Lisa and Johnny host a fabulous group. Ruby posed in four different costumes, most of which were of a special character and that she made herself. The energy from both Ruby and the other artists, plus the martinis (hey, I was back in Dallas!), was very inspiring. So much so that I broke out the brush pens and went technicolor. It paid off ,as the first drawing below won a prize (two comics from Boomstick) because it was tied with another drawing for Model’s Choice!

Finally, on Sunday I went to Dave Terry’s life drawing session at The Cedars Art Gallery. Again I saw many from the old gang as well as met some great artists. The model Kristin did a great job in a classic seated pose. David has added a very cool treat to the group – fresh baked bread. He serves it and some wine. Kind of fitting for my last supper. Anyway, a nice twist to the gin and olive salads I used to serve.

Thanks to everyone for making my trip so fun and eventful. Also thanks to those I met that read this blog! Special thanks to David. If you can’t find the brush pens, send me a note.

More Digital Fun

I’ve been practicing using Illustrator and Photoshop. Today I took a pencil drawing I did a few years back of Jennifer Sabatini then inked and colored it in the Adobe Suite. 

Wacom Upside the Head

I had a busy weekend, but managed to squeeze out a digital painting based on a photo I took in the Shenandoah Valley. One awesome thing about the digital painting is that you can focus and learn a lot of lessons valuable in any medium. Naturally, many of these come to mind after you finish the painting. I did this on my Wacom LCD tablet, which is just about the coolest piece of equipment you can own. 

Eauxil Painting

Right now I’m in the Big Easy and I spent the last day of 2008 painting at the Barataria Preserve. The preserve is part of the Jean Lafitte National Historic Park, just south of New Orleans. I started the day with a serene and peaceful hike through the swamp and finished it with this painting of a very interesting old tree on a mound called a midden. If you have been reading my posts for a while, you will sometimes read about the challenges of plein air painting. Unlike the studio, painting outdoors often makes demands of the artist beyond just the painting itself. Often present are obstacles such as extreme heat, extreme cold, rain, snow, heavy winds, bugs, frequent cloud (therefore light) changes, snakes, dust storms, elk, bears, drunks (which to be fair, are sometimes encountered in the studio), rabid dogs, earthquakes, mosquitos, hunters, and  small flowers that fall onto your canvas just to name a few. However today, there were none of these. Just a perfect day. Not one single environmental challenge. Which is quite challenging. You see, without any adverse conditions, there are no excuses and you just have to focus on the painting. 

I wish you all much success in 2009 in your personal and artistic endeavors.  Happy New Year, Don.

Barataria Preserve – oil on linen, 14×11

Price: $250. Price includes shipping and a $25 donation to the National Park Conservation Association

Live Free or Grisaille

When I first visited Boston for work, some of the Bostonians would sarcastically remark that people from New Hampshire were bumpkins and mock their slogan “Live Free or Die”. When I heard this, I immediately felt a warm connection with the Granite State since I’m from the country and have a strong independent streak. This was connection was validated during two wonderful visits to Manchester this this year. NH is a beautiful place and has a tremendous amount of pride in its role in the American Revolution. The day after Christmas, I painted at Stark Park (pronounced locally as ’stahk pahk’) in Manchester. It is named after Revolutionary hero General John Stark. General Stark coined the state motto when he wrote a letter to a group of veterans of the Battle of Bennington and closed it with “Live Free or Die. Death is not the worst of evils”. So in addition to the great scenery, New Hampshire has a a strong culture and rich history that really makes it an exceptional place for painting.

Merrimac Christmas

Ho, ho, ho! For the second year in a row, I spent the day painting in the cold plein air. It felt just like a holiday from the movies as I was painting the Merrimac River in Manchester, NH. I was standing in the back of The Millyard, a converted old factory. Standing alongside the main river in southern New Hampshire, I was able to soak in the prototypical New England town. I got to hear a lot of the local accent, as my easel was set up in a smoking area for those that work at businesses in The Millyard. The smokers were anxious to get off work that afternoon and get back to celebrating the season. I finished my painting around the same time they left. The feeling of accomplishment I have after I paint was combined with sharing their excitement to return to our families. I have a few drawing problems I have to correct when I get back to Atlanta. I’ve already mapped those out in Photoshop (love that program), so it should be fairly simple to do. Happy holidays!