Hullart.com Blog

Stop the presses � HP features Jim Hull�s Paintings

ckgreen1@yahoo.com — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 02:00:00 +0100

If you happened to be at the Photokina 2008 show in Cologne, Germany or the Photoplus 2008 show in New York City, you might have seen Jim Hull's paintings featured in demonstrations by Hewlett-Packard. HP was showing off their new print [...]

Chambers Beneath the Sphinx

jim@hullart.com — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 02:00:00 +0100

Several years ago there was a live TV show from the Giza Plateau that revealed a new chamber beneath the Sphinx. I will discuss the contents of this chamber in a later blog but this one I will dedicate to the underground structure itself. What amazed me was the quality of the chamber and its construction. It was fashioned from solid rock, and was for stories deep. While it was fairly soft material the walls appeard to be completely square and in a finished or polis [...]

Matter or Space

jim@hullart.com — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 02:00:00 +0100

Why do we spend so much of our time exploring the material aspects of space when they represent so little of the Universe? I think it is because the variety and evolution of the material part of the universe is evident to our five senses. But if all is an integrated whole then one could hypothesize that space(the void) too has more variety and is evolving although beyond our limited sensory perception. Perhaps the 'void' is m [...]

The Pyramids and Perfection

jim@hullart.com — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 02:00:00 +0100

As reported by Petrie, in his classic book from the 1800's on the Pyramids, the equisite detail and painstaking pursuit of perfection make these constructions both inspiring and enigmatic. A quote from the book.

" Hence the mean thickness of the [...]

Coherence in Watercolor Painting

jim@hullart.com — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 02:00:00 +0100

The idea of coherence relates to an instant tuning together of all of the parts of a painting. Nature as we know is not automatically coherent. It is chaotic at the visual level. It is therefore one of the key objectives of the watercolor artist to use the concept of coherence to create a 'whole' unified painting. Therefore to create a 'forever painting' the idea of choerence must necessarily play a dominant role. Many paintings seem coherent o [...]

Watercolor and Your Point of View

jim@hullart.com — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 02:00:00 +0100

You can't start with nature and end up with a forever painting. You will not find that 'something more' in nature as it is only a symbol for beauty that you seek. As a symbol it can point toward the higher but does not contain it. That is why so many watercolor paintings fail to reach the 'forever painting' level. They are nice renderings but contain less and not more than nature. They become of a symbol of the symbol. They are lower and not higher becau [...]

Watercolor Painting and the Strength of a Depiction

jim@hullart.com — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 02:00:00 +0100

Carrying the message 'strongly' in a painting is one of the key goals of a watercolor painter. One should never struggle too long over a weak depiction. The key is to begin over if the inital attempt appears to be too weak because in painting the stage must be set early for success.

Art, Watercolor and Pointing Towards Things of Significance

jim@hullart.com — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 02:00:00 +0100

Rodin once said that the artist had to recognize and point out things of significance. Some think that the artist selects them, points them out and reveals the inner truth of the 'significant' to the world. Some think that the artists job is to show the significance of all things to the world. I agree with the latter and think it is a far greater challenge but more rewarding in the end.

Watercolor Painting and Nature

jim@hullart.com — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 02:00:00 +0100

As C.S. Lewis once put it, "Nature is only the sketch." It is what we see as an image of the beauty that lies behind it. It points to the far off territory beyond from whence it all arises. It is the beauty of this far off territory that the watercolorist seeks to point toward. To suggest in some poetic fashion that true beauty lies beyond the surface of nature is possible in watercolor and the painting structures utilized by the watercolorist.

Space Art in the Age of Accelerated Discoveries

jim@hullart.com — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 02:00:00 +0100

The new Large Synoptic Survey Telescope will be creating a new picture of the entire heavens every 3 days. In the past the space artists, such as Bonstell, lead the way with intuitive renderings that helped to promote and popularize space. How will this role change in the [...]

Watercolor Painting and Complexity

jim@hullart.com — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 02:00:00 +0100

For an audience to believe that you have created a forever painting you have to build in complexity. This is somehting that was, not only known, but widely utilized in past centuries. When painting was a primary mode of entertainment it was imperative that the artist build in levels and depths of meaning in order to have a painting stand up to the scrutiny of repeated viewings. If the viewers always felt that there were more hidden meanings than could be comprehended in an in [...]

Stir the Senses and the Sensibilities

jim@hullart.com — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 14:00:00 +0100

The captioned could be a mantra for anyone wishing to create forever paintings. For what else can be gained from just creating ones that are 'Nice'? A question to ponder for any artist aspiring to create something new and meaningful. Will your painting stir or will it simply be use [...]

Ice on Mars??

jim@hullart.com — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 14:00:00 +0100

Is it important whether or not we find specific evidence of water on Mars? I think not. We have substantial evidence that Mars was once a planet that had quite a bit of water. So if we find water what would we do about it? What would it change in regards to our present space program or the pace of space exploration? I think nothing.

The fact that we successfully accomplished this part of the mission is probably more important than if we find water locked up in the form of ice on the pl [...]

Pythagoras and the Pyramid

jim@hullart.com — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 02:00:00 +0100

Pythagoras gained a lot of his insight and direction from the Egyptians. One of the most important Pythagorean symbols was the tetractys. It is a pyramid shaped symbol made up of the first four whole numbers. One was for unity. Two was the dyad, the first principle of dichotomy. Three was the symbol [...]

Back to the Beginning

jim@hullart.com — Tue, 20 May 2008 14:00:00 +0100

C.S. Lewis once said that in order to make progress in any matter sometimes the most productive way is to begin over. I have found that once I am on a pathway and have a fundemental set of protocols (in use and that work) I have a hard time breaking out and doing anything truly creative.

Instead I continue to pursue the same methods with little change in the outcomes. I paint alot of nice pictures but nothing truly great. I find myself stuck!

A couple of dozen years ago I took s [...]

Moon X Prize

jim@hullart.com — Tue, 20 May 2008 14:00:00 +0100

AA recent article in Popular Mechanics covered the criteria and goals of the Moon X Prize. While interesting they do not require that the rover do any science which is one item that I think they left off of the qualifying critieria for winning the prize. Like the Apollo program they have overlooked the key element or reason for going to the moon which is to learn more about ourselves and our origins. If they had added the necessity for some type of meaningful and successful scientific experim [...]

Chambers Beneath the Sphinx

jim@hullart.com — Mon, 19 May 2008 14:00:00 +0100

Several years ago The Fox TV Network had a live show from the pyramids that exposed several new underground chambers underneath the Sphinx. As I recall in their explanation of the findings they focused on a large sarcophogus flanked by several statues of Annubis. They also pointed out several tunnels(now filled with debris) that radiated out under the Plateau. What struck me was the engineering necesary to hewn these chambers out of bedrock and to a depth of 2 to 4 stories. It also appeared t [...]

Forever Paintings and the Idea of What the World is Like

jim@hullart.com — Sun, 18 May 2008 14:00:00 +0100

A painting that shows us, or makes us feel, more of what the world is like is one that can be considered forever. It is the difference between surface representation and essence.

The world is much more complex and interesting than it may appear. If we are only aware of what is represented by th [...]

Moon Property Rights

jim@hullart.com — Sun, 18 May 2008 14:00:00 +0100

A recent article in Popular Mechanics discussed the idea of private property rights for the Moon. I for one am in favor as it has been shown historically that it enhances progress and protection. The individual has always been the primary force behind development and protection. Wheter it is in hte arts or sciences the individual comes first as he or she has the internal creative power and built in moral imperative that has seen to best address the needs of new territiores and discoveries. As [...]

Pyramid Construction and the Size of the Building Blocks

jim@hullart.com — Sat, 17 May 2008 14:00:00 +0100

A question that has always haunted me is why the builders used such large blocks in the construction? Logic would tell us that if at their size and weight(minimum 2.5 tons) it was difficult for them to handle they would have reduced their size to facilitate construction. The only conclusion that I can make is that they must not have had trouble working with such large masses or else the construction plan itself required the larger size. Why not make them the size of standard building blocks? [...]