Friday, December 29, 2006

Ériu


Ériu (16 x 16 acrylic on canvas, SOLD).

Here is the newest painting from my series From Beyond the Ninth Wave: Ériu was the eponymous patron goddess of Ireland. She was one of three Tuatha Dé Danann Queens, the others being her sisters Fodla and Banba, who requested that their names be given to the country. Ériu (Éire) became the chief name in use while Fodla and Banba are used as poetic names for Ireland.

Because Ériu is believed to have been mainly an earth goddess, I thought it would be appropriate to use an earth-based object, rather than an outer-space one, as inspiration for this painting. I used an image of lichen and moss growing on a rock as a reference for this painting.

DoAn

Friday, December 22, 2006
















Happy Holidays!

Peace on Earth Begins with Peace in the Heart

I wish you a safe and happy holiday. May you find this holiday season one of joy, good health, and peace.

DoAn


Monday, December 11, 2006

Blue Jupiter



NEW WORK

Blue Jupiter (24 x 24 acrylic on canvas, SOLD). Yes, another space painting! They just keep popping out unexpectedly. Like the large Jupiter from The Planets series, this is all glaze-work. However, unlike the original Jupiter painting, this is varnished with a gloss varnish which really makes the colors deep and vibrant.

Sunday, December 03, 2006

Patron Program

As the year comes to a close, and 2007 creeps ever closer, I have been thinking about how to better secure my artistic career and the role my art can play in society.

Shifting from part-time to full-time artist is my main focus for the coming year and I have been examining various ways to do this. While brainstorming ideas, I remembered the patron system of earlier centuries that was in place to help support artists in producing work. Most of the great art we revere was the result of the support of a patron or patrons. In Renaissance Italy, there were two main systems of patronage. In the first system a wealthy person would take an artist into his or her home and the artist would supply the patron with art. The second system had a patron commission a single work and employ the artist until the work was finished. Leonardo de Vinci, Michelangelo and Vermeer were just a few artists who worked and become well-known through the help of patrons.

As I looked at my own ability to produce artwork and the challenges of juggling my time between producing art and working various jobs to pay the bills, I thought to myself that the patron system was a pretty good idea. A sensitive and courageous patron can do much more than simply provide financial and emotional support for the artist. Patrons educate public taste, refresh the roots of culture, and often serve as the first biographers and critics on the scene. In turn, I believe that the role of an artist is necessary as a way to enrich the life of the community and art can be a tool to evoke change and growth. I realized then that it just might be time that the patron system be updated and brought back to use.

So how might an updated version of the patron system work? Similar to the patrons of the Renaissance Italy, there are two ways to participate. The first way is to pledge a monetary amount that would be applied monthly toward a new piece of artwork. The second way is to commission a piece of art.

One doesn’t need to be wealthy to be a patron. Simply pledge an amount that is comfortable to you, perhaps you can exchange one dinner and a movie for a monthly pledge. And instead of a fading memory of a meal or a film, you will have a piece of art to last a lifetime. As a patron, you will have the choice to direct me in the development of the piece to match to your liking or simply support me in the creative process itself. As you know from my gallery and my recent work, I paint mainly landscapes and abstracts. But I am flexible to produce other kinds of work: portraits (both people and animals), still life, and Asian style brushwork…let me know what you are interested in and we can work together. Additionally, patrons will always get first viewing of all new work and works in process and have first choice to claim a piece (unless it is a commission) as their future piece.

I would like to invite you to become part of my creative process and witness the development of my art by becoming a patron. Your support as a patron will not only assist me in realizing my goal of becoming a full-time artist, but you will also be integral in bringing out art for the betterment of the community and society at large. Your support as a patron would allow artwork to be made that would not otherwise exist. As an artist, it would be a privilege and an honor to collaborate and share my artwork through an artist-patron partnership.

In the next few days I will be adding a Patron page to my website, which will describe in more detail the Patron Program and how to participate. (Unfortunately, because my Web development skills are limited, it takes me longer to do the web-based work. Hence, the delay in updating my gallery!) Please don’t wait for the web-page to appear, if you are interested in becoming a patron, contact me at doanart@gmail.com and I will be happy to discuss the Patron Program with you. I look forward to hearing from you and working with you in 2007 and beyond!


DoAn

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Happy Thanksgiving

Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful.
...The Buddha

I want to take this opportunity to thank my patrons, my friends and family, all of those who have supported me and my endeavor to create art. I am truly grateful for your giving me the incentive and providing me the means to follow my true calling to paint. Not only is your support a gift to me, but it allows me to give back to the world, something beautiful and meaningful.

I wish everyone a healthy and safe holiday. Let this be a time of reflection and contemplation on the people and things in our lives of which we can be truly thankful for.


DoAn

Monday, October 09, 2006

I'm Back

The furniture is moved, the boxes unpacked...The DoAn Art Studio is officially open!

The space is quite luxurious (in comparison to my previous studio, which was my bedroom) with almost 400 sq. ft. and skylights above letting natural light in...I feel very comfortable working in the space. Additionally, it is a great feeling to be working right alongside other talented artists.

I have even completed a few new paintings (The Moon and Blooming), sold a few (Sleeping Beauty, English Hill (pictured above), Autumn Hill and Uranus) and started working on some new landscape paintings. Inspired by my new environment, and the changing season, I have been spending some time developing some new pieces based on Autumn. At the same time, I am doing some research for a new series of paintings, which I hope to begin painting in the next month.

With the opening of the DoAn Art Studio at the Pendleton Art Center, comes the opening of the DoAn Art virtual studio. In order to provide access to my studio to all people no matter what your location may be. In the coming months I will be redesigning my website to better serve as a virtual studio. Look for frequent postings regarding new work, an introduction to the Patron Program and the Painting of the Week feature, among other new and exciting things.

Best wishes,
DoAn

Coming next: photos of the DoAn Art Studio, the Pendleton Art Center, and new paintings.

Thursday, August 17, 2006

Why DoAn?

In April of 2002 I took Buddhist precepts and was given the name: Do An. It is the Korean pronunciation of the Chinese words Dao An, meaning loosely "Way of Peace". Soon after, I decided to sign my art under the name DoAn, as it was through my Buddhist practice that I came to understand the importance of art in my life. You may notice on the logo, there is a third character in Chinese. Because the word "art" used here doesn't translate accurately in Chinese, I chose a character that is in keeping with the traditional use of the seal. This character, Jai, translates to "studio", a word traditionally used for seals, which indicates the work comes from a particular artist's or scholar's studio or place of study.

I hope that as you see my work develop, that this logo will become a recognizable feature to my art, which authenticates and legitimizes my artwork as much as my hand-painted signature does.
Busy, busy, busy...

I have been very busy since the show, working on the DoAn Art logo design, as well as working on the photos of the Planets paintings to get them scanned and prepared for uploading to the web-gallery. The digital files are now in the hands of Amir, my wonderful web-designer, so those should be up on the site very soon. Additionally, due to requests of those who saw my portfolio at the show, I am currently working on uploading images of some of my older paintings (mainly watercolors and brush art) to put into a new sub-category of the web-gallery: Past Work. This is taking a little more time than I expected as the slide images and digital files are not that great and need a little tweaking (color fixing and dust fleck removal) before uploading to the gallery. I promise to have those up as soon as possible. Thanks so much for your patience!

My Own Private Studio!


The biggest news is that I am in the midst of moving my make-shift home studio to a new private studio location at the Pendleton Arts Center near downtown Cincinnati. No more tripping over book bags, worrying about splashing paint on my bed, or getting unremovable varnish on the floor. I will now have a space devoted entirely to producing art, and for art related business. No longer will I have to meet in cafes or restaurants or show my portfolio under too dim lighting on small cramped tables. I will now have a comfortable, well-lit space for patrons and visitors to come and view my work in person! I hope you will all come and visit me and my art in my studio sometime!

The Pendleton Art Center began as an eight story warehouse that was converted into artist's studios. Housing over 150 artists, it holds the world record for the largest collection of artists under one roof. The Pendleton Art Center has since grown and spread into neighboring buildings. My studio will be located at the 510 Studios, just across from the entrance of the Warehouse Studio entrance. On the last Friday of each month from 6:00pm to 10:00pm, the Pendleton Art Center holds Final Friday Gallery Walks where the studios open to the public, giving guests the opportunity to view creative art space, as well as purchase one-of-a-kind artwork directly from artists. Additionally, Second Look Saturday, follows Final Friday, where visitors who missed Final Friday can have the opportunity to see artist studios or take another look at art they saw the night before. The studios are open on Second Look Saturday from 12:00pm - 4:00pm.

I expect it will take me about a month to get set up and spend some much needed time working on new paintings, so I plan to hold my first open studio on Final Friday in October. The next three weeks will be devoted to breaking down my current "studio", packing, moving and setting up the new studio. I will keep you up-to-date on my progress until then, please forgive me if posting during this time is irregular. See you soon!

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

Thank you to all who attended my show. It was fantastic to see so many people brave the hot weather and the broken elevator to come see my paintings. I really appreciate the tremendous show of support and all the useful feedback on my work. Pate, Jamie, Yulia, and Kit were a terrific help at the show, so thank you for your time and hard work!

A special thanks to those of you who believed in my work enough to purchase my art. By the end of the show, ProtoSun, Mercury, Neptune, and Pluto found new homes. I also I have my first patron to support my work! Thank you for your confidence in my work.

Currently, I am working on uploading the photos from the show to a webpage that will be linked here, so check back here for the link very soon. Additionally, I am getting photos of The Planets paintings developed and will have those added to the gallery page. I am expecting they will go up next week. Also, due to many requests at the show, I will add a subsection of my gallery titled Past Work, where I will post my watercolors and other work from earlier years.

Thanks!
DoAn

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Welcome to the DoAn Art blog!
Here you will find news, announcements, updates, works in progress, comments on work, and more.

Also, starting in September will be "A Painting a Week" feature, where once a week a small painting will be posted for sale through auction on Ebay.

Please check back regularly for all that's happening at DoAn Art.

Thanks,

DoAn

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