Artists find painting people and portraits difficult. Even artists who can paint complicated landscapes without too much difficulty stumble when they attempt people. Why? Part of the answer is the uncanny valley. The uncanny valley refers to the mechanisms people have for recognizing other humans. It turns out that these complicated mechanisms are difficult to…
My newest painting, White Ballon, is the standard size for me, 40″ x 54.” The drawing is simple–really the plan for the painting. I define the shapes and clarify the relationships between objects: light on dark, light on light, light on dark and light, etc. For large paintings like this, it’s immensely helpful to address…
I’m on my third Nikon camera. I bought my first one because the Nikon-produced photos that I saw excited me in ways that the photos from other brands did not. I have never regretted going with Nikon. I’m not a hotshot photographer but I use my Nikon cameras all the time. Since I use my…
The book’s complete title is 1177 B.C. The Year Civilization Collapsed. The book addresses the mysterious collapse of the Iron Age civilization. The author, Eric Cline, claims that recent findings prompted him to update his book that was originally published in 2014. I am reviewing the Audible version. If you’re asking “What is the Iron…
Jacques-Louis David is one of my favorite artists. David’s reputation was cemented for me the first time I visited the Louvre. David made a career revitalizing well-known stories and allegories. From the beginning of his career, David transformed shopworn subjects into works of startling originality. In David’s masterful hands, familiar themes, such as the Death of Socrates,…
I’ve used my Kindle Oasis for several years and thought I’d share my impressions with you. Let’s start with the negatives. Cons Goodreads. Amazon embeds Goodreads in the Kindle. You cannot turn it off, even if you do not have or want a Goodreads account. I almost returned my Kindle when I discovered this ‘feature.’…
I’ll cut to the chase: Perdido Street Station by China Mieville is one of the worst books I’ve ever actually finished. Perdido Street Station is a fantasy novel that also straddles the sci-fi and steampunk genres. The story is set in an indeterminate time and place that teems with Bosch-like biological species and other sentients.…
I was too optimistic when I recently applauded President Biden’s Afghanistan withdrawal announcement. I failed to mention that President Trump had scheduled the withdrawal from Afganistan for May. Biden actually is delaying the final withdrawal to September. Naturally, many Afghanis consider this another American broken promise. But what’s more troubling to me is that it’s…