[Note: this is zoomed out, and this section isn’t finished.]
I’ve been working on the “painting” portion, and it’s been getting a bit tedious. Not compared to the meticulous sorts of things other people do, unless you count all the Blender work that went first. Now it’s starting to get somewhere. In the first panel I used more up-and-down strokes in the background, and this time they’re more curved. My procedure has evolved a little since the first panel. I think that’s probably alright, and can add a certain kind of interest. Since I’m doing each third separately (my computer definitely couldn’t handle working on the whole thing, because the file would be enormous), the strokes will not connect where they match. I’ve thought of ways to get around it, but then again I think it might be interesting to see the difference where they intersect. The composition, color scheme, and the final touches that I’ll do in PS will hold it all together.
More on the painting technique. Hate to have to toot my own horn, but how else can I deliver this? A year ago I couldn’t have envisioned that my textures would get this convincing. At this point it might be harder to get as painterly an effect using conventional mediums, and pull it off. It would be out of my budget to try. I’d have to pile on the oils, especially because the image is quite large, and then I’d have to wait a long time for them to dry… And now that I am moving to another country – my fourth in the last eight or so years – I’m glad my art is portable.
Hopefully I can complete this in the next couple days, and move on to the last panel.
~ Ends
Art & Crit by Eric Wayne 
Where are you moving?? I was just wondering this morning if there was a country where I could find a place near the beach with a separate studio for 500 month. Mexico maybe…
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I’m moving from Thailand to Cambodia. You could probably find housing near the beach in SE Asia for 500, but I don’t know about a separate studio. You could get a house with a few rooms for less than 500 where I live now. Property probably goes up near beaches. But if you were willing to be 20-30 minutes away, it might go down quite a bit. The tricky thing is getting a good visa, and Cambodia happens to have the best option. In Thailand you pretty much either have to have a lot of money, work full time, get married to a Thai, or retire. But in Cambodia you can get a business visa for $300 for a year. I’m moving there so it’s possible for me to continue making art.
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I could deal with a 20 minute commute. You’ll have to let me know how it goes. I’ve never considered that part of the world. I do know one person in Thailand, he went and started a non-profit.
It’s amazing to me the lengths we have to go to just to be able to afford to work.
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Generaly, money goes a lot further in SE Asia, which is why there are so many retired people living here, who can’t afford a decent life at home. For example, My apartment is $333 a month, with 2 big rooms, 2 bathrooms, a kitchen and washing machine. It’s modern. With electricity and water, I’m paying a grand total of $380 a month. But I share my apt with my girlfriend. So, that’s $190 month. Food is cheap. My breakfast today was $1.50. If I want to splurge on Western food, I can expect to pay @ $5-$6 for a meal. So, you can have a decent life on little money. However, I have to teach to make that money, part time though.
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Wow, that does make a huge difference. Do you need a car where you are? I’d love to get rid of my car. I miss being able to walk everywhere.
I have space and it’s a safe area but I’m in the middle of nowhere, three hours from the beach and any decent size city, amidst a lot of noise, no other artists for miles, 20 miles to the nearest art supply store, can’t drink the water because it tastes so bad and all total, I’m at around 770 for rent and utilities. I was supposed to do an artist in residence but the rent there will run around 1000 for the same amount of space I have now. I’m having a hard time justifying that, even though it would be closer to the beach, and look good on my CV. I can’t even buy a dozen eggs for 1.50. Food is expensive and the food quality is really low in my area, not to mention that I have to drive to get it, 20 mile round trip to get fresh broccoli. I’m so tired of moving though! I’d like my next move to be my last, at least for awhile.
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I haven’t had a car in over 15 years. I lived in NY for a long time, and there I used the subway. I’ve never used anything in Asia other than my feet, a bike, or local public transportation. In Thailand I can get food easily. I live a few minutes walk from a outdoor market, which also has a 7/11. Lots of cheap restaurants. If Thailand had an easy visa situation, I’d recommend it to you. Cambodia may be a bit trickier. I’m moving to Siem Reap, which is famous for Angkor Wat. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siem_Reap
It’s touristy as all get go, so there’s plenty of Western stuff. But it will be HOT. I can’t recommend Cambodia yet, but for your budget you could get a lot more in Asia, ditch the car, have easy access to groceries and cheap local food. The problem is usually the visa. [Uh, if one is over 50 and has about 20K in the bank, it’s no problem getting a retirement visa]. Cambodia has a beach town, but it tends to be overrun with party-goers and sex tourists, or so I’ve heard. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sihanoukville_Province
But there is probably something suitable near there. If you just need a body of water, as opposed to an actual beach, the Capital city sits on the Mekong river, and Siem Reap has a river and is about 30 kilometers from a huge lake. However, Cambodia is the 3rd world, healthcare isn’t very good, there’s poverty, corruption, crime in some areas, and the electricity sometimes goes out. However, if it’s anything like the other places I’ve lived in Asia – China, Vietnam and Thailand – there are a lot of benefits, and you can enjoy a higher standard of living than in America, ironically, because your money just goes soooo much further in the developing world. It’s also just great, for the right kind of person, to get out and live abroad.
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Me too, I wish I could afford to live in NY again but I don’t see that happening. I keep my house at 80 degrees so HOT works for me 😉 I can’t afford healthcare here anyway so not sure that matters.
Thanks for all the info, I think I’ll look into it. I’m getting fed up with my current location. I’ve lived abroad before, I think it’s good to see the world while you’re able, I could always move back.
Keep us posted on life in Cambodia.
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Will do. Sounds like it might be an option for you. There are also a fair amount of artists who live in Asia, for the same sorts of reasons we are talking about. Oh, yeah, I’d also probably consider living in NY if I could afford it. I used to live in Park Slope and commut to work in Manhattan. It was a good life for about 8 years.
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Yeah, I really miss the MET 😦 NYC is just too expensive, you have to make 100,000/yr to live like a normal person.
I need to make a change. Look forward to your updates, Best of luck with your move!
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