Now with multi-tile goodness

I've been working at the limits of my ability to think straight and managed to get a
simulation (raindrops in this case) spread across multiple tiles. I haven't tried to
fry my PC yet, but it should work for more drops and larger sets of tiles. The
placement, number, and impact force of the drops is set within limits by a
random generator* so I don't have to make any decisions :)
*Mersenne-Twister by Takuji Nishimura and Makoto Matsumoto 

"I know people have different abilities, but when I do something I want to be
respected for it because I'm doing it the best that I can." 
- Olivia Robertson, age 85, 12/24/2012

Red Truck

Incredibly red old Chevy at an auto show in a Shriner's club parking lot.

Bit of a tangent

For the past three months, I've been cobbling together a couple of graphics libraries and SDKs to allow me to make computer simulations that mimic natural processes.  I've gotten to the point I can make pretty neat raindrops. They wrap around the splash 'plate', so multiple copies of a master tile would lay together to make a larger pattern.  I can write the output of the simulation to a file that can be fed to a 3D printer. I hope to be making something physical out of this next year..

Snow White Drive

I picked the blandest subject I could find. These are 1950's era ranch style tract houses deep in the 'burbs of Dallas.

Big Tex burns!

Big Tex was standing on his grassy knoll at the State Fair when his dang boot caught on fahr last month. At least he didn't tump over after he burned..

Throne of the asphalt master

This monster was parked by a bike path near my house.  Maybe the city wants to turn it into a landing strip.

Ghostbuster

I recently happened on the demolition of a house in my neighborhood.  It had been the home of longtime residents and was clearly loved - a well-tended patio, a wood shop in the garage, and about eight lazy cats.  I drove by a couple of hours later and it was all flattened.  I caught a glimpse of someone walking in the rubble holding a toy.

Jo's Coffee Shack

Jo's on South Congress St. in Austin, Tx.  Local institution revered for its red ball and amazing lime green paint job.

Kitchen Fun

Loaded brush mayhem on the apples!

Nantasket Beach Houses

I managed to get to a beach south of Boston for a few minutes before flying home after the George Nick workshop. This is painted from a snapshot of a cluster of houses on Jerusalem Road that overlook Nantasket beach. 17" x 23"

George Nick - Days 2 - 5

Repeated the three hour painting drill each day.  Most, if not all of the students were more adept and experienced than me, so I really struggled to turn out something halfway presentable each day.  But the main payoff was to listen to George in the daily critiques. He's a completely fascinating, original thinker. He was amazingly passionate about the good and the bad in each student's work.  He was watching us like a hawk!  I probably latched onto only a very small part of what he taught.  Mostly, I just tried to absorb his self-reliant, questioning spirit.  Really, his  message was that we have to listen to ourselves and be our own teachers. That and I learned I have to be more fearless in throwing around large masses of color. And I have to check my drawing, which usually isn't so hot. All in all, it was a pretty profound encounter.

George Nick Workshop Day 1

 

George led a group of12 students out to the Minuteman Bridge near Concord, MA.  We only had three hours to get get a painting done!  I'm a slowpoke, so I really had to hustle..

Kitchen Table

Just the usual suspects hanging around the kitchen...

Clymer Meadow near Celeste, TX

Clymer Meadow is the largest remaining fragment of Blackland Prairie on earth. Less than 1,000 of 2,000,000 original acres remain. This site is maintained by the Nature Conservancy, who open it once a year to the public. It has about twice the species diversity of any other prairie.  The ground undulates like a waffle, with pressure ridges every few feet due to the cracking and swelling of the clay soil. Drought tolerant plants top the ridges, while deep rooted plants fill the basins.  Over time, each "cell" has become a distinct micro-habitat. Truly a wonderland!!

Objects of Memory

A little collection of things on my desk.

South Congress

A rain puddle and derelict Airstream trailer in the big food truck lot on South Congress in Austin.

Class Still life

Classroom painting of a spotlit English teapot. The arrangement is certified free of any allegorical  symbolism.

South Ervay

Corner of South Ervay and Desolation Row.  Limited palette of warm and cool primaries.

Cedar Ridge Preserve

Somewhat geezerish looking painting of the only hilly spot in Dallas county.  Gee, I was hoping I wouldn't start up with this style until I was in my mid-seventies..

Countertop

lit by a kitchen sink window.

Bee Creek, Wild Basin Preserve

Rainy day view up Bee Creek at Wild Basin Preserve, Austin, TX.

Not sure how it's related, but I painted this a few minutes after I finished the landscape.

Upper Linville Falls, NC

A mountain walk at the border of abstraction.