Thanks Rocky Mountain Chronicle

April 25th, 2008 Daryle Dickens

Just a quick post to thank Josh Johnson and The Rocky Mountain Chronicle for his recent article on ZAF622.com and ArtPalaver.com. Josh did a great job and it is an honor to be featured in the Chronicle.

You can read the article by clicking here.

I am still on the road exploring parts of Northern New Mexico. Time for writing and wi-fi spots have been limited. Which is why my posting this week has been sparse. But Art Palaver should be back on schedule next week. And I’ll be sure to share what I found in the galleries and studios of Taos and Santa Fe.

Until then take care,

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A Demo of an Artist’s Work

June 12th, 2007 Daryle Dickens

One of the missions of ZAF622 is to show you happenings in the art world you may have missed. Could be anything. Could be in Fort Collins or something on the other side of the planet. It could be an event, a piece, an installation, a book, a movie, anything is fair game as long as it relates to art or artists.

Take for example Lisa Cameron’s web site. Lisa is a Fort Collins artist that if you remember was ZAF’s #2 interview. She works in a few mediums, one of which being paint. She paint huge florals and the like using large bold colors. I have spent time in front of her pieces wondering how she does it. Her work contains large color shapes covered with paints squiggles and drips. Lisa’s web site gives us a glimpse of just how she does it.

On her site Lisa has a section titled “demo.” And there you will find a few examples of her work. Clicking on a piece brings up a step by step slide show demonstration in the creation of the piece. It is simple but very cool. I watched everyone of them. I wish more artists would do something similar. Go check it out.

And thanks Lisa for sharing.

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Space

May 30th, 2007 Daryle Dickens

I have written about the challenge of time an artist faces. I believe space is up near the top of the list of challenges for many artists. Spaces shares the top three with time and money. (I’ll get to money later.)
Space does depend on the type of artist for sure. But don’t think just because a writer only needs a piece of paper and a pencil space is not an issue. And an oil painter can tell you the challenges of trying to paint at home. Paint gets everywhere no matter how careful one is. No matter your medium there is some level of space challenge.
I have been one to always wish for a space that was reserved exclusively for my creative process. A few square feet on planet earth reserved for the creative works of Daryle and only for the creative works of Daryle. Thus far it is something I have not been able to make happen. In a perfect world I would have a room with a door that locked. A place I could go and know it is 100% mine. But right now it is not to be. So I do what many have to do, and that is make do.
I try hard not to let lack of my own space be an excuse for not creating. It may not be ideal and it may be more work but I use what space and what resources I can. I have a hunch I will spend my lifetime seeking the perfect creative zone but never find it. I also have a hunch that struggle adds to my creative work.
What about you? Do you struggle to find the perfect creative space?

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Begin

April 24th, 2007 Daryle Dickens

Two weeks ago I began an oil painting class. This is my first venture into any sort of painting on canvas. So the basics that many take for granted are new to me. It begins with drawing in an outline of what is to be painted. Trying to define the perspective and boundaries of the image. From there blocks of color are added. Slowly piecing the work together until a picture begins to form. Thus far I’ve had a grand total of two lessons so I am still learning and I am not sure what my painting will look like when I am finished. But the process did get me to thinking about the process I’ve been going through with ZAF622.

I started with an idea, an imagine in mind of what I wanted. I picked up a blank canvas, a domain name, and started with an outline. That was back in November of 2005. It was rough but it gave me a jumping off point. The biggest challenge for me has been painting that canvas on a public stage. Many of you have been around since the beginning. And you are witness to the changes, the mess-ups, and the false starts ZAF622 has gone through. Like the oil painting I am working on, ZAF622 is constantly being tweaked and refined. All in search of the ideal work.

Even though it has been hard to do this on a stage I am glad that I began. I know that if I waited until I had it all figured out, all refined, all perfected, I never would have began. Here I am on interview #16 and ZAF622 continues to gain momentum. I still screw up, still mix the colors wrong, still hit dead ends, and still sometimes want to give up on it. I know that will always be the case. And I also know that more and more people are reading ZAF622, and more and more people believe in ZAF622. I also know that I do get better with each issue. I get closer and closer to my goals with ZAF622. And I know I am going to continue on and see this thing through to the end.

Thank you for sticking with me. Thank you for your kind words. I am not sure what the canvas will look like when I can finally say “finished.” That is not the point. I am learning a lot and growing a lot. And most importantly I am meeting a lot of people and making many new friends. For me that is what life is about. So “Thank You” and stay tuned.

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