Visual Language Magazine Contemporary Fine Art Vol 2 No 9 September 2013

VL Hall Groat II
Daily Painting in the New Millennium
By Hall Groat II,
Professor and Chairperson,
Art and Design Department, Broome Community College
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Hall Groat II Distant Learning Painting School, DVD Instruction Series
http://www.HallGroat.com
The tradition of “daily painting” began long before modern day oil paint was invented, and many
speculate that the first paintings were created 32,000 years ago within the cave walls of Grotte
Chauvet in France. These early paintings depicted men hunting animals and were conceived
using natural Red ochre pigments that were dug from the earth. Painting as an expressive art
medium has been embraced and revered by millions of people throughout the centuries as a
form of visual communication intended to be physically experienced. If the theatrical culture of
Ancient Greece only knew that we modern day people now watch drama on televisions,
computers and Ipods, what would they say In what ways have these new digital mediums
altered the expressive nature and message of traditional theatre
The new millennium has brought with it an exponential growth in cutting edge Internet
technologies, such as the blog, message board and video sharing web sites that have required
people to learn how to communicate with one another in new and challenging ways. American
artist, Duane Keiser, in 2004 was one of the first to chronicle the tradition of “daily painting” and
the creative process within the context of the blogosphere for people to experience and learn
from globally. This innovation inspired thousands of other artists to do the same, which has lead
to the emergence of what may be deemed as a cyberspace culture of artists that embrace fine
art painting.
What is daily painting For many artists it is the discipline of completing a single painting each
day in solitude, away from the confusion of life. The painter must designate a time daily time to
complete the painting, and often is unable to wait for that ideal moment of inspiration. It’s an
essential time each day that the painter both embraces and savors. Many regard it as a
meditative “expression of the moment” and enlightenment. Others regard the completion of the
painting in a single session as a means of chronicling their spiritual diary. The ensō. Then there
are those who perceive it as an artistic obsession or welcomed daily struggle that forces them to
complete a painting to be placed into a virtual exhibition. Why does this motivate artists There
exist various reasons, and perhaps the desire to be socially interconnected with like-minded
artists and art connoisseurs from diverse backgrounds and cultures is one rationale. Indeed, the
daily painter craves admiration for their work, to mature as an artist through honing their skills,
and maybe even to learn from studying and reading about other’s paintings archived on blogs.
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