permanent entropy resistance

Eye Candy for Today: Walter Dexter still life

Still Life, Walter Dexter; oil on canvas; 14 x 18 inches (35 x 46 cm), in the colection fo the King’s Lynn Town Hall.

Engliah painter Walter Dexter was active in late 19th and early 20th centuries, and was known for his landscapes in oil and watercolor. He also painted other subjects, including still life; and this one just caught my attention.

I love how controlled and subtle this is. The colors of the fruit in the foreground look bright, but are actually quite muted. It’s the values and colors of the area surrounding them that makes them appear bright.

The shadows...

Lines and Color

Posted at 2026-02-05 23:06:35 | Illustrations | read on

Agenzia Dufoto. Christo in the La Salita Gallery. Rome. October,...

Agenzia Dufoto. Christo in the La Salita Gallery. Rome. October, 1963

I Am Collective Memories • Follow me, — says Visual Ratatosk

Semiotic apocalypse

Posted at 2026-02-05 22:16:28 | Illustrations | read on

Harris & Ewing Studio. John Joseph Pershing. 1924

Semiotic apocalypse

Posted at 2026-02-05 21:30:27 | Illustrations | read on

Liu Tao 刘涛. A Weak Road #10. 2012.jpgI Am Collective...

Liu Tao 刘涛. A Weak Road #10. 2012.jpg

I Am Collective Memories • Follow me, — says Visual Ratatosk

Semiotic apocalypse

Posted at 2026-02-05 20:46:27 | Illustrations | read on

A lesson from studying Richard Schmid

One of the things I often admire about advanced painters is their ability to infuse a single object with multiple colors and make it read well. It can be subtle or overt, but it done properly, it can give a painting a lively visual interest.

As a painter, I stuggled to understand how this was done. Every time I tried to emulate this effect, the result looked horrible – disjointed, splotchy and just plain wrong. I tried again and again, always without success, until I tried something on a whim.

On of the painters I admire who does this extremely well is...

Lines and Color

Posted at 2026-02-05 01:32:29 | Illustrations | read on