Flying in a New Direction: the Marvel of Technology in the Artistic Hand!

The Scribe Speaks: S'not easy changing course in mid-flight. However, as time/years/Ages pass (practically Eons in my case!) one learns that each of us has some singular talent/skill/interest/avocation that brings us joy. I love words and stories, ergo I love to write. But even more, I love to create, to imagine and bring what I imagine into a shareable form of reality.

Painting is another but no less important/significant/vital love of mine that has been on the back burner far too long. Color and texture, light and dark, shape and focus and lines and solidity--these visual artifacts are as rich and moving to me as any verb or noun that ever graced a sentence.  Sadly, just as I turn my focus on revitalizing my artistic drive, circumstances and reduced finances limit my access to work  space and paint supplies with which to create art.  Technology, thank Heavens, has swooped in on sleek, leathery wings and provided some wonderful products to replace both space and supplies.  

Instead of canvas or paper, I have a graphics tablet.  I don't need a room in which to work, or even a dedicated corner, because the tablet fits on my lap or desk (next to my laptop) and can be used over and over again.  Instead of a paint brush or charcoal stick or whatever media I choose to use, I have a stylus with round-tipped nibs that are remarkably durable and long lasting.  Instead of paint I have pixels via my Corel Painter program...Voila!  Digital art, as rich and vibrant and creative as anything I've ever generated.  I can 'paint' or draw in any media I choose, on any kind of paper, and have what I paint or draw printed on canvas and/or paper and/or material, to be framed and displayed and/or sewn into something wearable or usable.  Can't do all of that with a single 'paint on canvas' image!

There are some who don't believe that 'painting' in digital form is...real.  S'not 'true' art, so they say.  I've heard the same comment/attitude/argument in regard to e-published books and using an e-reader instead of buying a printed-on-paper book.  I've given this some thought and have come to believe the attitude/argument is based on the primal fear of change. Creativity, imagination, and skill required either to write a novel or paint a picture remain firmly in the realm of the writer/artist, deriving from their brain/mind/soul, spewing from whatever well of creative waters they draw from...the manner in which they present that vision to the world is, in truth, irrelevant.  A good story is a good story...s'got nothing to do with whether it's visible on a screen or a page.  A beautiful work of art is beautiful whether it comes to life from a brush held in hand or a stylus held in hand.  

As Carl Sagan once said, "predispositions bias conclusions."  Many people are predisposed to dislike change, a rather Neanderthal position considering the speed-of-light evolution of computers and smart phones not only year to year, but month to month!  You'd think everyone would embrace change with excitement and gratitude and an adventuresome spirit!

Ah, well, let them denigrate, who will, the validity of digital words and art.  Such narrow critiques don't lessen the impact or truth of a good book or a moving painting.  In my case, technology has given me new life, new creativity, new ability!  I, for one, consider it a marvel!

The Dragon's Scribe Has Spoken...