Some of my pass times include creating works of visual art and music.  I am at heart a realist who is preoccupied with the Renaissance and Baroque periods in the History of art.

Currently I only have some of my photography online, but I am working on getting my portfolio back up and running, so soon I should have drawings and paintings up again.

Renaissance: A Time of Giants

The artist that I derive the most inspiration from is Michelangiolo Buonarroti.  His works of art transcend human understanding and skill, allowing us to touch, even briefly, the infinite.  No artist worth their salt could exist today without studying the works of this master.

Some other notable masters from this period are:

1. Albrecht Durer (German, 1471-1528)
2. Raphael (Italian, Marchigian, 1483-1520)
3. Titian (Italian, Venetian, c. 1488-1576)
4. Andrea Mantegna (Italian, 1495-1505)

There are many others, but these are the most impactful in my opinion.

Baroque: Light, mood, atmosphere

Where my personal hero in the artistic world is from an earlier period, my favorite movement in art is Baroque.  The art that was created during this time is some of the most atmospheric and stirring I have seen.  Virtuoso's like Carravagio, Rembrandt, Velazquez and Vermeer created works that moved the soul.

Here again are some Baroque artists that are worth looking into:

1. Jacopo Chimenti (1554-1640, Italian Painter)
2. Giovanni Battista Paggi (1554-1627, Italian Painter)
3. Hendrick de Keyser I (1565-1621, Dutch Painter)
4. Caravaggio (1571-1610, Italian Painter)
5. Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640, Flemish Painter)
6. Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669, Dutch Painter/Engraver)

Again, this is only a sampling of the genius that existed at that time, do your own research and find what speaks to you.

Music: beats from the whiteboys

Yeah, yeah I also make music every once-in-a-while.  When I was younger, so sayeth the ancient 27.8 year old, I DJ'ed for fun at college parties.  I specialized in throwing together live electronica performances.  There are some recordings floating around of me doing that, but they are all bad quality so I took it upon myself to record some songs I "wrote".

Here are a few of my crappy tunes:

1. Fade off my album Beats from the White boys.
2. Slow Remembrance An experiment with Garageband.
3. Strings & Things, another Garageband composition.

That is enough of that I think.