By Our Hands: Irises

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Irises from the Tucson Botanical Gardens

Posted by Lane Aldridge at 2:42 AM

Lane Aldridge: I grew up with a No. 2 pencil in one hand and a comic book in the other. The thick-thin lines from the inker’s pen, the boldness of the colors, the drama in nearly every frame, all held my attention and fascination: I let The Lone Ranger and Silvertip and Lash La Rue teach me to draw. Today, that influence can still be seen in some of my paintings. Time went on and Realism reared its head, and I had to know whether the tip of my brush carried in it the weathered age of an old barn or rusty truck or a bar patron’s face. After a span of artless years, and while I can once again smell the memory of paint, a camera has been a more recent and constant companion. As you look at these samples of my work, you will see some straightforward photos and others that have been digitally manipul — well, let me say digitally played with — because that’s what I think the making of any kind of art should be: no matter how seriously we take it, we must remember art comes from our spirit at play. ~Lane Aldridge