Art inspired by biology, created by a biologist
My wife Tamaryn and I both participated in Art All Night again this year (in Lawrenceville, Pittsburgh, PA). It’s a free art exhibit in a huge warehouse and free for all Pittsburghers. Also, anyone in the city can submit one artwork to be shown.
My pastel pencil drawing “Sentience” was on display, along with a painting my wife made. It was a blast as always!
I must say, I put more work into this piece than any other I’ve ever done. I literally spent months working on it in short bursts, followed by a couple of weeks of more intense work. I lost count of how many dozens of hours went into it. The reference photo I used was taken by the excellent breast cancer scientist (and my colleague) Dr. Ryan Hartmaier at the Pittsburgh zoo. You can buy prints of this piece HERE.
I absolutely love Artist and Craftsmen Supply Store in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh. I find myself there almost weekly, whether I need anything or not. It helps that I live nearby. The employees never cease to be friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. They feature local artists every month behind the front counter, and I recently got a turn. Works shown are “Woodstock the Golden Conure,” “The Watcher“,”Stripes,” and “Tiger Shark.”
Here in Pittsburgh we have an awesome annual event: Art All Night. It’s art, and music, and beer… all night long. It’s free for everyone, and anyone in the burgh can submit one artwork for display – with all being accepted. It’s such a great way to see the creativity going on throughout the city from hobbyists, pros, children, and dabblers alike. Needless to say, there are thousands of works on display. And it’s an absolute blast. My pastel drawing “Dexter” was my featured work.
I made this earlier this year but didn’t get around to posting it. This is the famous “Dippy” diplodocus sculpture that stands outside the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, which is easily my favorite place to visit in Pittsburgh, PA. Some new friends just strolled in from Schenley Plaza.
I modeled the diplodocus dinosaurs in Blender, photographed the museum and statue with my iPhone, and did texturing and compositing in GIMP. This was an exercise in integrating a 3D computer model into a real world photo with at least somewhat realistic lighting and shadows.
