D is for Digging In

I am enthralled with the  Paint Joy app on my Android tablet. It is so simple, and yet, the more I play, the deeper I dig into what the tools can do, I can't help but feel a little guilty about how easy it is to create something beautiful or interesting or in a new way. Is it really art if its so easy?

My professional life was based on my ability to use computer tools to design graphics, logos, newsletters and websites. I am an early user of CorelDraw (v. 3 anyone?)
I use Photoshop and dozens of art and photography programs to design.

But, inspite of all this highly visual and often beautiful work, I never felt like an artist until I began to paint and draw. Pastels were my gateway ... Since then (8 years) I have focused much of my creative attention on working and teaching in the real world of brush and canvas.

But - my idea of fun is to create variations of my drawings/ paintings in Photoshop or some of the cool phone apps that do awesome things as well. So - I work back and forth - what I do in one mode enhances the other.

Now I've moved from the mouse to the stylus and the game has changed. I'm in a middle place where digital art meets fine art and the results are fantastic - fun and surprising.

I did this sunny piece as a way to study the effects of adjusting the width and opacity of the sketch brush,  I worked on a dark blue background, but the bright yellow paint stays on the surface while letting some color show through.

Cool!