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|   Thursday,
July 9th, Main Street will come to life with our Summer Spectacular
Artwalk. Beat the heat with Scottsdale's coolest art. Join us
at Xanadu from 7-9 p.m.
We will be giving away
prizes that evening, including an original oil study by John Horejs and
a chance to
win a Wine and Art night for 8, courtesy of our neighbors at Su Vino
Winery and River Trading Post.
Dave Newman will be
in town from Prescott showing some of his latest sculptural pieces.
I
look forward to seeing you on the 9th!
J.
Jason Horejs
Owner
Xanadu
Gallery
| | New
Sculptural work by Dave Newman |  |  |  |  | |
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| Genece Hamby is a recent
addition to Xanadu Studios. Genece lives in the St. Louis area. Hamby
creates incredible digital images that blur the lines between
traditional and digital art. We recently sat down to visit with Genece
Xanadu:
When you explain that you use
traditional watercolor techniques applied via digital painting
software and Wacom drawing tablet, I have an idea what the
software is, but what is a Wacom drawing tablet? Can you explain to the
uninitiated
in digital art more fully the process?
Genece Hamby: Wacom
is the
leading manufacturer of digital graphic tablets, which is a computer
input device that allows one to hand-draw images onto a flatbed tablet.
The artist uses a device that is an alternate to a mouse called a
stylus.
The stylus pen, as it is called, looks very similar to a felt tip pen,
only the digitized drawing pen has various nib tips made from plastic
that
provide different results when drawing or painting. The trick is all in
the
pressure of the tips applied by the artist that determines the size,
depth,
and strength of the drawing or brush strokes.
Using
a graphics
tablet
and stylus pen requires a unique set of technical and
intuitive skills. Imagine sitting in front of your computer with a
software
program that is designed for drawing and painting onto a blank canvas.
As you begin to sketch and draw on your stylus pen and tablet, your
eyes
are focused on the computer screen-selecting your colors, the brushes
and
size of canvas. You're watching what you're doing on the screen.
However,
your hand is drawing in a small screened area on the tablet. This area
can be as small as 4"x6" and if you want to draw something large, you
have
to know how to work the stylus pen with smooth strokes and broad
motion.
Actually, with your eyes on the computer screen doing all the selection
of size, brushes, color and image, your hand is in its own world. It's
like two separate functions working simultaneously in sync with one
another.
X:
Since you use traditional watercolor
techniques in a digital form so beautifully, were you at one
time a traditional watercolorist painter?
Genece: I
have no
formal training in traditional watercolor techniques or in traditional
painting. All of my artistic expression has been digital. Though
recently,
I've painted a few pieces using traditional watercolors and acrylics,
reaching outside of my artistic comfort zone to see if there's a
connection
worth further exploration.
One of the things I
admire about any watercolor is how fluid the art appears. You
can sense and almost feel the flow of the artist when looking at
a watercolor. That's what inspired me to explore digital watercolor
brushes.
Surprisingly, like traditional watercolors, these digital brushes move
effortlessly across the canvas. I can use the softest or boldest of
strokes
to create an effect I'm seeking because the brushes emulate the
traditional
watercolors.
X:.
Aside from your Etch-a-sketch
masterpieces as a child, have you always seen yourself as an
artist, or did you discover you were an artist after mastering
digital painting techniques in your career as a branding and marketing
consultant?
Genece: This
is a good question. I've not ever
seen myself as an artist. It's only been in the past year that
it actually sunk in that I've had a hidden artist tugging for
years. As a branding consultant, part of my work was to hire and work
closely with artist and graphic illustrators. By the mid 90's, most
companies
were hiring computer illustrators-people with the skills to illustrate
using sophisticated drawing software. I'd share a concept with them
and when they weren't grasping what I wanted for the client, I'd find
myself
back at my own computer frustrated and determined to sketch something
rough
enough for the illustrator to get what I needed. Over time, some of the
illustrators began teaching me drawing and graphic computer techniques.
It
was just fun exploration and helped me sketch better drawings for the
illustrators.
 I
think I developed the drawing and art software skills during those
years. However, my painting talents came from the willingness
to play, explore and immerse myself in the creative process.
Three years ago, I sold my international business as a
speaker/consultant and was hanging out in Santa Fe, NM
thinking about what I wanted to do next. Within only a couple of
months,
I found myself returning to Midwestern roots to care for my aging
mother.
To relieve the intense stress, painting became the connection I needed.
I painted every available moment. What I painted wasn't important.
Believe
me, my earliest paintings were scary. They were blobs of color and
strokes
out of control, shaping into nothing.
I pushed hard
to dig deeper. I was determined. Learning the techniques is a tedious
and detailed process of long hours practicing. That's why I developed
a habit of daily painting which I continue to this day. The real
breakthrough
in mastering the techniques, particularly using watercolor brushes,
came when I discovered that poetry I'd written provided direction for
painting. Once I made that connection, the flood gates opened and I
dived
into digital painting with profound conviction. Now, I paint first and
immediately
upon completion, I write a poem expressive of the piece.
X: You
say that you are moved to paint the essence of stillness. I think that
is so profound in a culture that does not stand still, and I think your
art
does indeed invoke feelings of stillness. Can you describe why
conveying stillness
is so important to you?
Genece: My
digital artistic talent
is like a tornado. In the center, like the eye of the storm,
everything is quiet. The outside world drops away and I disappear into
the zone. To watch me paint, I appear to be in a frenzy of hand-eye
movement,
like a wild dance with lots of tempo. Yet, it is the inner stillness
of quiet that is the engine. It is what fuels everything for me. The
quiet builds a creative wall as an internal pressure that pushes
through anything
standing in its way of expressing.
My inspiration is
to touch people; to touch their own stillness that yearns for
their attention in a busy world. Because we live in a noisy world, I
want
to remind people that in the midst of all the edgy, ugly, harsh, or
demanding
world, there is stillness, beauty and grace available at any given
moment.
X: How
did much of your art come to be Asian
influenced?
Genece: I've
lived off an on in the San
Francisco area for more than 30 years. I was inspired by the
Asian culture and spiritual understanding. I became a student
of stillness before books were popular on the subject. Once I melted
into
an inner quiet, I knew this was what mattered. From here, I could
access
a well of memories. I could access a databank of images from an other
time
and space. Perhaps this sounds a little silly, sometimes I think
there's
an ancient Chinese artist I'm expressing.
Even
when I'm painting non-Asian images, it's all from the same rich well.
X:.
Why do you think your collectors are drawn to your art? Or, to use a
term for which you're very familiar, what is it about your
"brand" of art that connects with people?
Genece:I
receive ongoing feedback from collectors and others that my art is
beautiful,
vibrant and invokes a sense of calm. I've had people approach me
asking,
"How is that you paint with such bold colors and yet your art is so
calming,
so serene?" I believe the answer is color. In some of the quietest
places
I've been on the Earth, color was abundant. Color is what first moves
me
to paint. I select a color and begin with a transparent wash that tells
me
what wants to shape. The stage when I sketch an image comes when the
color
has shaped into something that requires extra texture and details.
My
brand is color capturing the stillness, beauty and grace existing in
all things.
This is what connects people to the work. It is what collectors are
drawn
to and curious about. It is what has been shaping my life, even when I
couldn't
and didn't know it. In the color is light, the very essence waiting to
be witnessed; to be experienced from a place of appreciation and wonder. | |
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| | c | |  | | After
“The Ball”, one of my oil paintings at Xanadu
Gallery, appeared in the Red Dot
newsletter, a couple of art collectors from Massachusetts,
Mr. and Mrs. Philip and Linda A, contacted me to commission a
painting for their recently refurbished house in Middleton.
Mr.
& Mrs. A and I exchanged several e-mails discussing details for
the pain ting. After the
preliminary studies and more e-mails were exchanged, I developed a
clear vision of the future painting. The
refined sensibility for color Mr. and Mrs A demonstrated inspired me to
create a scene based on Brazilian carnival private parties, well-known
for their exquisite, colorful costumes. Two months later,
“Ball 2 – The Carnival Party”, an oil
painting depicting a happy couple surrounded by confetti and
serpentines was delivered to their house in Massachusetts.
This
turned out to be a very rewarding experience, through which the A's and
I developed a very meaningful client-artist relationship.
Commissions can be very challenging, but when you are given the
opportunity to work with such understanding clients, it makes it all
worthwhile.
Silvana L. Ravena, June/2009 | | | | | A
Note from Philip A. - Xanadu Collector
My wife and I had been searching for a
painting to anchor our collection displayed in our family room.
As a recent purchaser of the Xanadu gallery, we are privy to
new artist's works from time to time. One Sunday morning, I
received an email from Xanadu featuring Silvana La Creta's work.
Needless to say, it was absolutely spectacular. My
wife and I were drawn to it immediately. After a short
discussion, we decided to call Silvana and see whether we could
commission here to paint us a painting to anchor our collection.
This began one of the most rewarding
relationships we have experienced. From the first email we
sent to all the collaboration we had throughout the process, Silvana
listened to our vision and she provided the inspiration and
incredible talent to create a wonderful painting that we will enjoy for
years to come. I was amazed at how easy the process worked
and I was actually commenting to Silvana how we are going to miss our
periodical updates about our painting. It just may be that we
have to have her paint us another original painting and original !
If your thinking of commissioning an artist as talented and
dedicated as Silvana to create a work of art that is as timeless as
this, I would say that it is a very rewarding and satisfying
experience, one that I would do again in a heart beat.
Philip
A.
Middleton, MA
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