I’m a purist and a contemporary fine artist. I paint with big brushes and oil paints on large canvases and exhibit them globally. So when visiting the Apple Store just to get new batteries for our iPhones, and my wife excitedly showed me an iPad and asked me to check out the drawing and painting functions, I flatly refused! “I don’t do gadgets,” I reported.
Persistent and persuasive as she is, Angie pressed me to try the stylus. “Look at all you can do with this,” she continued, “and coincidentally, they are offering a free tutorial at the Genius Bar.” So I reluctantly dropped my guard and joined the class, which used the Procreate app on the iPad. Procreate I would soon learn was like a combination of Illustrator and Photoshop in a very usable format.
It became immediately apparent that the stylus could trace anything and add colors. It could also sandwich layers upon layers of images and easily erase or delete unwanted areas. Slowly, I saw how easy it was to combine multiple artworks into a single image. I could collage without glue or gel media. This was starting to get interesting.
So the next thing I know, we are at the cash register paying for our discounted iPhone batteries and a new iPad and stylus. Talk about upselling! But I had purchased a new tool and another way to express myself.
Angie and I travel a lot and are often invited as artists in residence at resorts around the world. So when we headed off to China and a residency near the Great Wall, I slipped my iPad in with my art supplies. It was small and lightweight, so what harm could it be?
We settled into our digs and my studio below the Great Wall of China. Deciding to hike up the mountain instead of taking the cable car, I opted to bring my iPad instead of my usual paints and canvases. Good call, as the mountain trail was meant more for goats than for someone on crutches. Occasionally I’d remove my iPad from my fanny pack and sketch views of the Wall. It proved so easy to carry and use, and there was no drying time! Needless to say, my first date with my iPad was a big hit.
Since China, I’ve traveled to dozens of countries, capturing sights and imagery with my iPad and Procreate. I’m also especially proud of the six large-format digital prints I created with my iPad for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic & Paralympic Games, featured during the Olympic Agora throughout the Tokyo Metro system during the Games. Creating multi-layered artworks in 5×12 foot format is a testament to the oversized capabilities of this tool.
It’s funny how I often make the best friends with folks I’m initially not so enamored with. Like the iPad, which at first I swore off, it has become my constant companion and an amazing friend that helps me express myself and live a bigger life. I still paint, but now I also combine my paintings, sketches, photos, and other images seamlessly into dynamic artworks which we then print out and market. Try it. You’ll like it.
