I'm back! My web/taskmaster Carlton Stout has revitalized the website and me, and asks in return merely that I blog monthly. He is my Digital God and his wishes will be fulfilled. Or else.

*****CHEATING AND SNOBBISMS***** Recently, a well-known and occasionally respected painter-about-towm gave me her opinion that, "Painting would be all right if we could just get rid of the camera." Really? In the freakin' 21st Century? I asked her, "When you came into town from Way Lower Puna, where did you hitch your horse?" Again, that wearisome old snobbism so many painters have against photographs, cameras and all things Digital. The implication is that using modern technology is somehow cheating. I held it myself when i was young, but am much better now.

My rebuttal to the Punatic: This image is entitled,"The Neighbors, Detail I, Pines,9/6/15". It is a detail from a 24" x 24" drawing, graphite on canvas and beaten on with OMS and a stiff old brush. Where I stood to get the view was on a goodly slope. I always paint En Plein Air, but this time the slope, my rickety old easel, and laziness conspired to make me "cheat". I took a photo with my beloved iPad and referred to it for the drawing. (I also walked down the slope a couple of times to check the view-I'm not that lazy.) To cheat some more: I am going to have Robbyn at Hilo Fine Art Center scan the drawing, to make a record before I go further. I will most likely have her print me one or more uncoated canvas prints, possibly at various sizes, which I can work on. These will be Tradigital Oil Paintings. Nice acronym! I can paint each one as much the same, or as wildly differently, as I choose. I also took a half a dozen more iPad photos, details of the drawing. I'm going to email Robbyn the image above, have her print it at about 18" square, and go to town on it. If it goes well, who knows? Perhaps a triptych of Details, maybe a larger series.

With modern technology the choices are endless. Oh, and I still have the original drawing, pure potential. Screw that worn out old snobbism. Modern technology is not cheating. It is choices. Thank you for your time. Until next time… Hubbard