Think it's time to update.
It's been a while since I said anything here. Variety of reasons; some personal, some having to do with dA. They segue into each other (I think. Let's find out)
(I'm going to play with tonight's writing style; liven it up a bit. It may help ease the calculated coldness of essay writing that I will soon blame the Internet for. It may not be 'architecturally sound', but it'll make it more pure and fun for me, as my brain is usually multi tracked at any one time. Hope you can follow. btw...if you can, Man, we HAVE to chat! You are either very wacky, or VERY cool to talk with. Either way, I'll enjoy the conversation)

- Ya see, the main reason I am rarely If Ever on the internet in general is because it is a Very dry, dispassionate, lends itself easily towards misunderstood comments, and quite often, disingenuous way to communicate.

On a daily basis most people wear their facades just to get through their day, their insides being deeper, more pained, and Much more complex than their exterior portrays (this is the kind of stuff my art talks about. Those who know me, know that almost all my art also wears... a pretty or simple facade. It's layered; like people. Never told ya outright; now you know why I do it.
Just 'conversing' at whatever level the viewer wants

...They put on a smile, but are really crying, they show some emotion to ease the pain or be polite... but they are really dying...

That... is a layer, and many times... a very thick one.
Now... add the anonymous layer of the internet, and.... who am I talking to? Who am I doing business with? Really about what, who, how do you mean it? I want to see their smile or frown, their eyes. I want them to see mine. We can't tell if someone is being pure and/or honest in person many times. With this added layer.... it becomes almost impossible.
Some prefer it this way. But there in lies the dilemma. Remember when we didn't have too many choices when the phone rang? There was no call waiting, no answering service, and you couldn't see who's calling. You either picked up the phone, said “Hello” and took your chances, like an adult... or you didn't. It was harder to be fake. And there were less hit-n-run comments, views, or thoughts.
(~all this writing above to say, “ please don't take offense at what I am about to write. Blame the cold medium for any misinterpretation. Be curious yes, question yes, but never be offended at a thought process.... Enjoy the thinking” ~)

Alrighty then; digression comes easy. So... I'll start with dA...
1. I have sold very few prints since I joined dA. I thought it was a great service it offered and would be a good thing, not so much for the money but for the affirmation every artist secretly needs (whether they admit it or not) that... “you're doing ok. There's hope for ya as an artist”. (Drew, quiet! You're gonna hurt your sales.) (Brain... step aside. I'm talking here)
I also purchased one of my own prints to just check out the quality (in the old days, I was at the printer often, so I knew exactly how good it looked and what needed tweaking, from them or from me). When I saw the product I received.... my heart sank. It was much darker than the original. Important details were gone! It had lost its vibrancy. It was disgustingly blurry.
Terrible, in a word.
That killed me because that was a third of the reason I joined dA. I got very depressed, and just started losing interest, dA as a good avenue for my advancement as an artist.
(Oh man. Drew! Whatta ya doin?!)
(Shut up brain. I need to be honest)
2. The other thing was, there was no real interaction. Rarely were there any deeper comments. We all love to have someone, Anyone, say “Hey, nice work”, but, I dunno maybe its just me, I enjoy a person asking 'Why', “were you saying something? Is there a point to this? Just pretty art?”.
Or, when I call something finished (I rarely do), get some input. Tell me exactly Why you liked it. Did it help you in any way? Did it evoke an emotion? Could I have done something better? Did I make a big mistake? Color scheme. Pose? Did it make you think? See anything?
Mental dialogue. Art to me is expression with pictures. Speaking using visual input/output.
("Oh Sttttop Drew. So why you cover it all up with the pretty facade huh?)
(Brain, shut the.... ok, fair question. I'll give ya that. Because...Wait; will you be quiet please. Your ruining my train of thought!)
As I was saying... so dA started...
...mm. Hey Brain? it's a nice night. Beautiful moon, man. Go out and enjoy it for me will ya please?)
So I started losing interest in dA because it was falling short on very important points for me, particularly the interaction. I not only want to sell, I want to grow, and if hardly anybody looks at my art, and even less people comment or query, well, its just not going to happen here.

Now... the other side. (Playing fair is key to pureness).
No, I did not complain about the quality to dA staff. I didn't check into it. I did not return it. It's just not me; it's not the Dao Way. I won't complain. Once burned, it's just a lesson learned never to be repeated. There is no aggression; there's no point in complaining or vengence.
("Ohh, how Zen of you")
("BRAIN! Shut the BLEEP up will you?!")
(Not a very Daoist essay this, but well, if one looks, it actually is, once again just not obvious at first glance. I am very tempted to explain but digression is a very slippery road )
And to be fair, it may not be dA's prints fault. Maybe I didn't offer the best file I could have within their parameters. Maybe my technical inexperience is to blame. I know the file I have looks exactly like I want, but maybe what they received caused the print to look this bad. Dunno.
Now, as for lack of viewers and overall interest in my work. Maybe, it's my neglect to drum up support or interest. Or keep a continuous flow of work going on here. Opportunities have arisen for exposure; people have asked me directly if they can name me, write about some good deed or other I have privately done, and I have and will always say no. You bet I would love any exposure, but I did not give to receive. I need to die having given more to this world than I have taken. My moral duty type thing... equalize the yin/yang of this plane (too many people Take much more than they Give).
And I must say. Maybe my art just isn't up to par. (for the record; I used to work in oils; that was 20 yrs ago. Hadn't touched paint, or even sketched At All for 15 yrs. Another long story. {In the last 4-5 yrs I started creating again, but in a totally new medium; new world. Digital} Some of my old work was like Rembrandt's paint style (I hardly if ever use the digital Paint Brushes; go figure), and some were a glazy, watercolor style oil finish(Ray Harris-Ching comes to mind; and I hardly use the digital Watercolor Brushes nowadays either. Can't explain, cuz it just dawned on me)
It has been a treacherous transition also. I was never a 'computer guy' and am Still Not thankfully (well, except those times... hey which reminds me; I tried some new dA skins, but couldn't figure out where to add my text amongst the code. I know; may sound simple and silly to some of you, but hey; actually had a conversation with a relative youngster (I'm 40's) this week, and he 'knew of' a rotary phone, but never used one, and a young gal that didn't know what a rotary phone IS/was I think that's interesting. So, anyone want to help?)
Treacherous may be a harsh word, but I think it fits. Not only is it a totally new medium that I'm still learning (did I mention I do 3D animation also?) but I run into a real big problem with the medium itself. I mean...
Well I guess it can be stated as
An actual oil painting is... an actual thing. The digital work I do now, is well... just not real. Not in a physical sense, but not in a contextual sense either.
Bump maps. Explosion/fire planes. Mattes. Heck, mattes used to be Real paintings once!
Actually one could say, this is the first time in human history, that we create art that is not physical.
I definitely don't make that distinction in my tastes, just my personal creations. If one actually looks, many/most(?) of my favored art is photo-manipulation. The point being, I have stopped creating physical work and am psychologically very torn. My artistic paradigm is almost completely changed, not as a theory but as an actuality I am participating in. Strange.
I am trying to revel in it, but the dichotomy I find very interesting, and trying at times.

So why am I here now? Cuz I Really like this place. There are some VERY cool people here! Just check my Favorites section. My brain relaxer is sitting back and seeing all this beauty, tons and tons of creativity, pouring out... every second. Taking a slow walk through wonderful galleries. (Please post more of the 'WHY' of your creations. Some of us actually enjoy that ). Art, by artists. What a great show.
And I think :dev$spyed: is doing a pretty good job here. As long as management keeps it truly 'by artists, For artists', his model will succeed (Real sorry I missed you folks at the NY meet. Next time for sure!)
And the kindness of some, have made me want to stay close to their creativity.

3. Well, 'a restless mind never sleeps', so been getting my nose into other artistic avenues and always running short on time. That's a good portion of why I haven't posted much lately, much less viewed. I'm a gonna change that right now...
Working on my first detailed digital sculpture (not just a detailed model)

Hope you enjoyed the breath of fresh(?) air.
My mind and I would like to say...

Have a Wondrous Day