Posted by: Jim in Untagged on
Jan 05, 2009
Today(post modern) most would label anyone with abosolutist convictions as naive. So does the definition and protocols for creating art change and is it truly relative to the time and place or is it timeless? I think it is both. One can create 'relative art' that will only speak to those in a particular time and place. Art can also be personal and shrink even further from the timeless. Both of these limit the value and message. Art created in this manner becomes obsolete or disposable based on the longevity of the time frame for which it is intended. Timlesss art, or the art of the absolute, is of the greatest value; but it is also the most difficult to create. It requires a different point of view that is far broader than most possess today. It is, however, the path to 'forever paintings' and the ones that ring true for the ages. This is not to say that the absolutes are not capable of enahncement or development. They are, but the absolutes are usually not understood or thought of in the context of our day to day existence or way or seeing. We need to train oursleves to see each object, scene or feeling as if it was for the first time an then and only then can be begin to create 'forever paintings'.
Posted by: chris in watercolor, Painting, Exhibit on
Dec 03, 2008
Jim Hull's watercolor painting "Pilgrimage 2 - Trekking to Lhasa" has been accepted in the 2008 Statewide Watercolor Competition at the Triton Museum of Art in Santa Clara California. The exhibit will run daily from December 6, 2008 through February 22, 2009. Please stop by and let us know what you think!
This painting is available as both a limited edition signed print and as one of our new watercolor poster prints. Both look great and have excellent color reproduction.
Triton Museum of Art
1505 Warburton Avenue
Santa Clara, CA 95050
Hours: Daily, 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.; Thursday until 9:00 p.m.
Posted by: chris in Painting on
Nov 20, 2008
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 printer technology and software marketed towards fine-art reproduction. Show attendees were seen to scratch their heads as they tried to figure out which painting was an original and which was hot off the printer.
Photographer David Saffir was on hand to explain the process and highlight the advantages of HP printers and archival quality inks and paper. All prints sold on this web site are created using HP technology and are of excellent quality with vibrant colors and accurate reproduction.
We've heard nothing but compliments from people who have our prints including one who wondered if he was sent the original painting by mistake. Get one today-we know you will be impressed.
Posted by: Jim in Egypt on
Sep 22, 2008
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 polished condition. This again begs the question as to the origin of the knowledge and tools that would be required to construct something so perfect. And to have done so 4 to 6 thousand years ago seems unlikely if we are to believe that mankind has made slow but consistent progress from that time until today. I have also been waiting for a follow up program or article on this find but to date none seem to be forthcoming.
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 more than just a stage on which the material universe plays out the story. Scientists have said that there is more zero point(potential?) energy in a small(several cubic centimeters) area of space than that contained in all of the material bodies of which we are aware. Do we need to begin to expand our search and look deeper into exploring the stage instead of focusing all of our efforts on the players?
Posted by: Jim in Pyramids, Mystery, Engineering, Egypt on
Sep 06, 2008
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 joints there is '020'; therefore the mean variation of the cuttting of the stone from a straight line and from a true square, is but '01 on lenght of 75 inches up the face, an amount of accuracy equal to most modern opticians' straight edges of such a lenth."
It is inspiring because it shows what can be achieved with care and attention to detail. It is enigmatic when one wonders why it was considered necessary to dress the stones to this degree of accurracy and how it was done on a such a large scale over a prolonged period of time. Working with businesses today, as a consultant, I can report that to have employees apply themselves consistently over a period as short as one day is an issue. So as we go deeper into the mystery of these monuments we find even more unanswsered questions.
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 on one level but fail to meet that standard on all levels. It is not enough to merely use technique to force coherence at the painting stage. It must be built in at the design, story and painting levels. These to me represent the three most important areas for a watercolor painter to use. It is much like the design build concepts used in the construction industry. First we design and then we build or render. To have too little thought on the front end(design/ story leaves too much to chance. While chance plays an important and much recognized role in watercolor painting it should not be the principle design strategy in an intentional painting. In a non intentional spontaneous painting one could lauch forth with 'chance' as the key strategy but in the end the artist must bring coherence into play if the painting is to succeed.
Posted by: Jim in Philosophy, Painting on
Aug 26, 2008
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 because the artist started with the wrong point of view. To reach the higher level requires a differnt point of view. This is a point of view that comes from within the artist and is imposed upon the subject matter. Therefore don't look for or expect to find your 'something more' in nature, or for that matter any part of the material world. Look within and there you will find the hidden treasure that you have been seeking.
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.
Posted by: Jim in Philosophy, Painting on
Aug 11, 2008
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.
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