Location: United States
ARTIST : ROB HARE , I have been involved in the art of oil painting for many years and actually began oil painting at the age of 12. I had studied art in many forms through the years in school and private instruction. I had the opportunity to go and study under a master oil painter by the name of Libby Berry. What I learned during the course change my style and my perception of the world around me. I graduated from the course in the year 2007. ARTIST : ROB HARE , I have been involved in the art of oil painting for many years and actually began oil painting at the age of 12. I had studied art in many forms through the years in school and private instruction. I had the opportunity to go and study under a master oil painter by the name of Libby Berry. What I learned during the course change my style and my perception of the world around me. I graduated from the course in the year 2007. (website robert-hare.fineartamerica.com)
To: All Artist, Galleries, Art Leagues, & Art Show Planners
From: Robert V. Hare; artist. DATE: 09/10/2011
Subject: Digital art/painting for today’s artist.
We are practitioners of visual art. There is a multitude of mediums that we use to perform this art. Whether you use charcoal, pencil, oil, watercolor, mixed media, photographs, or digital, the end result is the same, creation of a piece of visual art. The viewer of this art will either like it or not, is the first impression that counts the most. The digital artists palette is just another set of tools for us to use to create visual art. It doesn't replace any of the other artist’s oil paints, pencils, charcoal, watercolor, or camera, it's merely just a new set of tools. Whether you call it digital art, digital painting, photo manipulation, or any other term you wish to come up with, The end result is still visual art. Just as a paintbrush or a pencil, the digital mouse has become an extension of the artist mind and vision of what he tries to create. I still love my oil paints, but I have found digital art very enjoyable and have produced some very nice pieces that I call digital paintings. I call them digital paintings, because there is no part of the photograph that I used to work from in the final art piece. I don't believe this is any different than be going on location taking a photograph for reference back to the studio and creating an oil painting from that photograph. When I do digital paintings, I simply use the photograph to get my basic sketch for the painting and then that layer is removed. Then I begin painting. Every brush stroke or pixel, as you would have it, is place by my hand. I select the colors from my artist palette and decide where I want to place them. I have found I can use traditional techniques of under painting and even transparent glazes, the digital tools are at my command. Digital painting also has advantages that traditional painting does not. There are no toxic paints to handle, there are no mineral spirits or other toxic solvents, at the end of your painting session or no brushes to clean, it's not necessary to keep an inventory of stretched canvas ready for your painting, and you can paint as much as you want and never run out of a place to store all of your paintings. When you complete a painting it is already in digital format for posting in your website, or having prints made on demand, and these are some of the reasons I love digital painting.
Regarding the subject of original paintings. Here are my thoughts. I use the following system it is very simple. The very first digital painting that I have printed on professional archival paper is personally signed by myself, the artist, and I have a label that I attach to the back of the painting that certifies it to be the master original. Labeled with the title of the painting, the day it was produced, name of the artist, and a statement of authenticity, and personally signed. Prints of the artwork are handled as limited editions with a different label attached to the back of the painting that states that it is a print, the number of the print, a statement that it is a limited edition print of the original, authenticated and signed by the artist. When and if someone purchases a print directly from an online art company it is considered and approved vendor master copy, but these copies bear no personal signature of the artist. I think that when the digital artist provides the master copy to the online art company they should consider a small logo, seal, or line of very fine text to add to each of the prints on demand that they produce for the artist. This would differentiate a print made by the approved vendor as opposed to a print that was made in violation of copyright laws. I believe these procedures will add the same value to the artwork that is afforded to traditional artist regarding their original work and their prints.
I believe that Digital art should be accepted as a category in all art shows for the reasons I detailed in the above letter.
I welcome your thoughts and opinions on the subject.
Sincerely,
Robert V. Hare
Traditional oil painter/digital artist
302-856-6285
e-mail: RVHART56@aol.com
Website: http://robert-hare.artistwebsites.com/
“ Blessing of the Fleet”
“Jezzelle”
“ THe B&O Train Station- Digital art”
