Let it all hang out! My opinion about photos and painting.

I have noticed this trend since digital cameras, Photpshop and digital manipulation has become ubiquitous. Digital cameras have given many people easy access to "making art". Their are people who use Photoshop to make their photographs look like paintings and people use photographs to make their paintings look like photographs. Their are even people who paint other peoples photographs and claim it as their own!This trend really struck me back in 2007 at an art show and seems to be growing.

It's a trend that I am not fond of because I want to see the painter's eye and hand in their work. The soul of a computer program leaves me cold. Likewise, my early experience with picture making was black and white photography. I am still a fan of using photons (light parcels)to make photographs. The purity speaks to me. I like to see the eye, the moment and the judgment of the photographer in the photograph.

I am bored with all the derivative art that is speaking in the voice of a computer program. Now, in the spirit of FULL disclosure, I do use photo references. I use them as a reference, sketch or reminder of something I want to incorporate into a painting. I take a photo to remind me of the painting I want to paint. There are ways to use digital images for painting. For me an interesting painting has paint on it. It shows the artists hand (drawing , brush strokes and texture), mind (decisions about composition,form and color) and heart (undefinable).

So above you see how I use my digital reference to make art. My painting is not a photo. What would Magritte say?