iPoinsettia: Digital Art

iPoinsettia, Digital Painting by Jim Carpenter

The Christmas Card 

I created this card while on the deck of a ship while on a transatlantic crossing in November 2010. I had owned my iPad for about 3 months and took it on the trip with me to see how I might "Paint" without having to carry along art supplies. When I sat down to do this painting the sun was shining on the water, and I was very comfortable in the deck chair looking out at the ocean, and fully aware of the feeling of gratitude flowing through me.  

It didn't take long for me to become totally absorbed in what I was doing. I was learning the Art Studio app on the run so there was no chance of becoming bored or distracted.  I had only my finger to guide me and there was a lot of experimentation going on.  Nothing new there, right? I mean, it's always an experiment when I paint, never "knowing" what is going to happen - just armed with a lot of hunches.  

Four hours later when I finally looked up from the iPad, the view had changed drastically; the sun had gone in and the fog had rolled out, and I had my iPainting completed.  It was a relief, really, to have the Christmas card done in November.  There's a first time for everything.  

And I had found a new way to make art while on vacation: just bring along my trusty iPad.  It gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "finger painting."