define('DISALLOW_FILE_EDIT', true); define('DISALLOW_FILE_MODS', true); art – Gary Whitley Illustration https://www.gary-whitley.com Creating art that swims, soars and roars. Thu, 12 Sep 2019 17:57:39 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.0.3 https://i1.wp.com/www.gary-whitley.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/whitleyWeb-logoT.gif?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 art – Gary Whitley Illustration https://www.gary-whitley.com 32 32 141942431 https://www.gary-whitley.com/wp-content/plugins/squirrly-seo/view/css/feed.css
Blog Update: Photos of the completed Wright Brothers Memorial project. https://www.gary-whitley.com/blog-update-photos-of-the-completed-wright-brothers-memorial-project/ https://www.gary-whitley.com/blog-update-photos-of-the-completed-wright-brothers-memorial-project/#comments Wed, 05 Dec 2018 18:01:26 +0000 http://www.gary-whitley.com/?p=1069 Install complete!

I finally got a few photos of the artwork installed in the memorial from my friends at Formations, Inc. The client was very happy with how it all turned out.

Installed illustration of the Wright Brothers Memorial behind the welcome desk. By Gary Whitley.
Installed illustration of the Wright Brothers Memorial behind the welcome desk. In the distance through the window on the right is the memorial.
Illustration of wind tunnel used by the Wright brothers. Drawing by Gary Whitley.
Illustration for the panel showing the Wright Brothers wind tunnel. That boxy thing behind the glass is a replica of the original.
Illustrations of the plane and how it flew are on this panel in front of a full size replica of the flyer. By Gary Whitley.
Illustrations of the plane and how it flew are on this panel in front of a full size replica of the flyer.

 

Here is my original post:

Why We Fly.

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]]> https://www.gary-whitley.com/blog-update-photos-of-the-completed-wright-brothers-memorial-project/feed/ 1 1069 Four great quotes on aging creatively. https://www.gary-whitley.com/four-great-quotes-on-aging-creatively/ https://www.gary-whitley.com/four-great-quotes-on-aging-creatively/#respond Thu, 01 Nov 2018 18:46:26 +0000 http://www.gary-whitley.com/?p=1050

Old violinist. Pastel. Gary Whitley,
Old violinist.

Here are some of my favorite quotes on getting older as an artist. No matter the age we can live creatively, joyfully and with a sense of humor!

“I have no age when I walk into my studio. Age gets left behind out there, along with the dirty dishes and the dust balls.”

–Cathy Fink

“I’m now at the age where I’ve got to prove

that I’m just as good as I never was. “

–Rex Harrison

“Only uncomfortable chairs become antiques; 

the comfortable ones wear out.”

–Bruce M. Miller

“You can live to be a hundred if you give up all the things that make you want to live to be a hundred. “

–Woody Allen

 

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]]> https://www.gary-whitley.com/four-great-quotes-on-aging-creatively/feed/ 0 1050 Computers And Creativity. https://www.gary-whitley.com/computers-and-creativity/ https://www.gary-whitley.com/computers-and-creativity/#respond Thu, 11 Oct 2018 18:21:35 +0000 http://www.gary-whitley.com/?p=1002 Computers and creativity often go hand in hand but think about this…


Computers and creativity by Gary Whitley


“If automobiles had followed the same development cycle as the computer,

a Rolls-Royce would today cost $100,

get a million miles per gallon,

and explode once a year, killing everyone inside.”

–Robert Cringely


Dead Computer by Gary Whitley

Computers. Sometimes we love them and sometimes we hate them, but they are almost everywhere and mostly unavoidable.

For artists when it comes to computers and creativity, it has made many menial, repetitive tasks easier and opened up a world of possibilities for inspiration and experimentation. We can tweak, manipulate, retouch, colorize, filter, erase, save and delete our creation over and over until we get it just the way we want it. I still do much of my art traditionally with paint and brush, but once scanned I can change many things without repainting the original piece.

If you want a trip down computing memory lane look at this infographic on how they have changed the world at:

https://www.business2community.com/infographics/computers-changed-world-infographic-01612346

Even with their ever-increasing power they are still just a tool that can be used, misused or overused by us all:

“Computers let you make more mistakes faster than any other invention in human history, with the possible exceptions of handguns and tequila.”

–Anonymous

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]]> https://www.gary-whitley.com/computers-and-creativity/feed/ 0 1002 Effort. A big little word. https://www.gary-whitley.com/effort-a-big-little-word/ https://www.gary-whitley.com/effort-a-big-little-word/#comments Wed, 03 Oct 2018 18:26:53 +0000 http://www.gary-whitley.com/?p=986  

Effort in art by Gary Whitley.
How it feels with some projects.

“Effort is a commitment to seeing a task through to the end, not just until you get tired of it.”

—Author unknown

“Effort only fully releases its reward after a person refuses to quit.”

—Napoleon Hill

“Put the uncommon effort into the common task… make it large by doing it in a great way.”

—Orison Swett Marden

I am fortunate to get paid for doing what I love. I learn something new on every piece of art I do. Sometimes it’s a joyful task, other times it’s a difficult grind. But I keep on learning.

I have to chuckle when people come to me and say “just do me a quick little drawing or painting. It won’t take you very long because you are so good.” I’m good at it because I have put in the effort most of my life to get there. The decades of continuous learning and sketching and painting may make it seem easy to most people but it hasn’t been. The words of my old friend Mike say it best:

“If people knew how hard I worked to achieve my mastery, it wouldn’t seem so wonderful after all.”

—Michelangelo

Mike was always a sourpuss, maybe partly because he hated his full name—Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni. He was a bit of a recluse, usually forgot to eat, and often slept in his clothes and boots, but I think he did pretty well for himself.

 

Effort becomes success.

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]]> https://www.gary-whitley.com/effort-a-big-little-word/feed/ 1 986 About Coffee Breaks. Once we believe… https://www.gary-whitley.com/about-coffee-breaks-once-we-believe/ https://www.gary-whitley.com/about-coffee-breaks-once-we-believe/#comments Tue, 22 May 2018 00:00:47 +0000 http://www.gary-whitley.com/?p=714 Gary Whitley taking one of many coffee breaks on the Oregon Coast. Before Starbucks this was how we did it!

Before Starbucks this is how we did it. Me sometime last century.

 

 

“When the going gets tough, the tough take a coffee break.”

–Stephen Hawking

“Coffee keeps me going until it’s time for wine.”

– Unknown

 

“Once we believe in ourselves

(coffee)

we can risk curiosity,

(coffee)

wonder, spontaneous delight,

(coffee)

or any other experience that reveals

(coffee)

the human spirit.”

– e.e.cummings
…As long as there is Coffee!

Being self-employed and working from home I used to work long days fueled by coffee, cigarettes and fear. Fear of never getting more work. I even did my share of all-nighters where I had to deliver the job the next day. Those were brutal and I eventually learned they weren’t worth the stress. Those jobs were mostly for advertising agencies that needed the work ASAP and then wouldn’t pay until 45-60 days out. But I had a family to support at the time and took most anything that came along. I would forget to take breaks for hours at a time. That turns even fun projects into drudgery or even worse–W.O.R.K.

I don’t do that any more. Now I love my coffee breaks.

Coffee my precious. © gary whitley

Where did the coffee break originate? From the Rogers Family Coffee Company website: “there’s always speculation about who, when, where, and how the “Coffee Break” had come about.  It allegedly originated in the late 19th century in Stoughton, Wisconsin by immigrant women who took mid-morning and mid-afternoon breaks from their shifts to go home and tend to their children.  All the while, they were free to snack or have a cup of coffee during the break.”

Every 1 1/2 to 2 hours I stop what I am doing and do something else. It doesn’t always involve coffee. Sometimes its going outside, taking a walk, pulling weeds, appreciating the weather, anything. It gives my remaining brain cells a little recharge and reset plus a new perspective when I get back to work. Mentally stepping back and then observing as with a new set of eyes keeps me fresh and motivated to create for another 2 hours. Doing this breaks up even the most complex assignments into bite sized chunks of manageable time, energy and attention. That keeps me from over thinking, so it works well for me.

And it’s not just me: There are a number of studies to support the idea that taking regular breaks boosts workplace culture and productivity. Breaks can help:

  • Keep people focused: A 2011 study in the journal Cognition found that brief diversions from a task can dramatically improve one’s ability to concentrate.
  • Relieve stress: A study in Symbolic Reaction found that having coffee breaks with coworkers helped a group of Denmark employees cope after a large-scale merger.
  • Boost productivity: MIT studied call center workers at Bank of America. After one month, researchers found that workers who talked more to co-workers got through calls faster and felt less stressed. Bank of America changed coffee breaks to allow for more interactions, and within a few months reported productivity gains of about $15 million a year.
  • Recharge your energy: The Energy Project, a New York City-based productivity consulting firm, found that without any downtime, people are less efficient, make more mistakes, and are less engaged in what they’re doing.

Next time you are considering skipping that coffee break, don’t. It’s not just about the coffee, it’s about the break.

Tell me about your coffee breaks. Send me a photo of things you do on your breaks. Any good stories?

P.S. Once again I’m calling on all Grammar Police and Spelling Wizards to comment on any errors or omissions you may find in any of my posts. It will help make me a better writer, give me a thicker skin and bring a bright smile to your face knowing you have once again rescued the english language from certain annihilation.

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