darren-cech-art

[darren-cech-art]

Untitled (Work in Progress)

I have not had the pencils out for a bit. I thought I would create a pencil drawing for the current art project.

This is inspired by the American Bison (Buffalo). I will add additional details and shading to the animal. After that, I will work on the background. This is being created with graphite pencils.

[darren-cech-art]

“Pink Walkway”

Happy to announce I received an honorable mention from Circle Foundation for the Arts for their Santa Fe exhibit contest.

This piece also tied for second in my category Naive Art Other in the 2024 World Art Awards. Artists from over 65 countries entered this contest. To date, this is my most successful art I have created and most recognized in a juried competition.

This was created using Windsor & Newton watercolor paint. Painted on 14x11 110lb (180gsm) mixed media paper.

[darren-cech-art]

”Golden Glow”

This is another work inspired by my walks on The Missouri River Trail in eastern Nebraska. I decided to go impressionist and again go with my theme of bright and vivid colors.

This was created with gauche paint on 110 lb. (160 gsm) mixed media paper.

[darren-cech-art]

”Autumn Glow”

This work is inspired by my walks up and down the Missouri River Trail in Eastern Nebraska. I walk this often as it will wind up along the Missouri River in places, but also through open fields.

this inspiration is that point in the fall when there is still green in the grass, but the leaves turn to those vivid yellow, orange, and red colors.

This was created using watercolor painting on an 11x13” 110lb. (180 gsm) mixed media paper.

[darren-cech-art]

Alexander Nexus leisurely stretched before pouring himself a leisurely dose of the good stuff. The general smiled as he took a sip and unbuttoned his dress coat before sitting down. His shoulder length, teal soul veins glowed faintly through his undershirt.  He had done it. Yesterday, all the puppets had dropped dead and there had been no word of that thrice damn cockroach of a woman surviving or her pretty soulmate. Alexander had spent the day listening to lieutenant Quinn’s friends (And hadn’t that been a useful rune he had discovered planted in his own home.) Even better than just the soulmates being dead, he only surviving members of the lieutenant’s leadership team was Ravi, A quiet, useless women. And Summer’s, who could easily be bought and hated Quinn with a very loud passion. No one had survived on the night shift, let alone any leadership members. Which just left him. General Alexander Nexus: the man who ended the war that defined humanity. That nearly had destroyed the world itself. was a hero and finally everybody everybody would rightfully recognize this fact.

[darren-cech-art]

But it just kept going. As if the god of love had to scrape every trace of her soulmate out of the world. As if he could not leave a single piece of her behind. The hooks the claws the wrongness pulled and pulled pulled until everything tore loose with an almost physical wave, worse than the awful laughter had been.

As blessed unconsciousness crowded in Regina could hear Quinn’s voice, a whisper on the wind. Imsorryiloveyouimsorryimsorryimsorry

Regina tried to chase her voice, flinging out it’s okays and I love you and Ill survive I promised didn’t I? I won’t be alive with out you but ill survive I love you.

Her last thought as Regina passed out, was that her soulmate was dead and that her words had not managed to reach the last of her soul before she had passed. A hallowed-out body chasing a ghost on the wind.

[darren-cech-art]

Ravi stared at her friend’s hand. She had a pulse in her wrist. A strong steady one impossible. But Quinn’s fingers were her normal skin color, a deep golden tan when a dark midnight blue had coated them like ink for five years. Ravi clutched Quinn’s hand and dragged it closer to her, to see better in the fading light. There was no blue anywhere on Quinn’s skin. No second set of soul veins twisting off from blue fingers. No entwined branches that ebbed and flowed black into blue and back again. The Wrath runes were much much higher and deeper too. Ravi could see the bright white of bone underneath all the black charming. They stretched up over her shoulder and halfway up her neck now. Ravi moved to straddle Quinn, so she could lean over and inspect Regina’s arm. It took a few tries to undo her armor and push up her sleeve. Regina’s fingers were still black. Quinn’s soul veins still twisted up to join Regina’s own. But the magic in them was still dead in a way Ravi had never seen before. Her wrath runes thin pale scars instead of the angry unhealed burning red they had always been

[darren-cech-art]

Thank you @gracemwrites and everyone who got me to 5 reblogs!

5-D Sunset

Referencing my first post, this was the artwork that tied for 6th place in my category in the 2023 American Art Awards. This was a juried competition with artists from 72 countries competing. This was created with Watercolor paint on 11” x 13” 110lb (160gsm) paper.

[darren-cech-art]

Grateful for the Recognition!

Recently I entered an art competition with Circle Foundation for the Arts. I was grateful to learn that I was recognized with other artists with the Masterful Mind Award.

I am grateful for this recognition for a variety of reasons. There was a time in the past, I would not even post my work on social media. I did not think I was very good, and not that confident in my abilities in those days.

I now post regularly, and am completely good with submitting my artwork into juried competitions. I am grateful to receive recognition for my artwork in the artist community.

[darren-cech-art]

What is Quinn and Daniel’s relationship?

Hi @Bloomistrying! Thanks for the ask!!

Quinn is a trusted military leader who a lot of the younger recruits look up to. Daniel, especially has her on a pedestal because Quinn is personally training him and his friends.

[darren-cech-art]

The First Art Supplies

One of my favorite memories from childhood is when I obtained my first art supplies from an art supply store.

When I was 8 years old, there was a local art store called the Art Director. Every time we were at that shopping center, I would ask my mom if we could go to the Art Director so I could look at art supplies.

I used to love walking through. Aisles of paint, brushes, canvases, and pencils. They had every art item I could imagine and more.

I found a set I really wanted to purchase. It was a set from Windsor & Newton. (I do not receive any compensation for mentioning this brand). It had 8 tubes of oil paint, turpentine, varnish, 2 brushes, and a few canvases. If I remember correctly, it was $17.99.

In those days, that was quite a bit of money. I was earning $1.00 a week in allowance. I did the math and knew it would take 18 weeks to save up my allowance. Good news though, lawn mowing season was near and I would get $1.00 a week for that as well. I was excited to learn instead of 18 weeks, I would have money saved in under a year.

Fast forward a bit. One day we were at the shopping center running errands. My dad said, “Hey, let’s go to the Art Director. I want to see this paint set you are saving up for.” As always, was excited to go to the store, and excited to show my dad what I would eventually get.

I showed him the set, and explained how it was “real paint” because it did not come from a grocery store. In my home, my parents rarely bought me anything other than necessities outside of birthday or Christmas. If I wanted something “fun” I bought it with my allowance.

My dad asked me how much allowance I had saved up so far. I said I had $11.00 saved. He thought for a moment. He then said “You have done a really good job of saving your money. Why don’t we do this. How about you give me the $11 saved so far, and your mother and I will pay for the rest of it”.

And just like that, we paid at the register and I had my first paint set. I did not quite understand the significance of having student grade art supplies as an 8 year old kid. I did know this was a high quality paint from a highly respected company.

Cadmium Red, Cadmium Yellow, Prussian Blue, and colors I had never heard of before. The possibilities were endless. I was excited to start using my new art supplies! In my next post, I will talk a little bit about the first painting I created.

[darren-cech-art]

What is the Soulmate’s Curse?

Hi @Bloomistrying thanks for the ask! The Soulmate's curse is a fantasy romance novel with heavy body horror flavor. It's about these soulmates (Quinn and Regina) who have to sacrifice their bond to stop a war (with a god, it's been going on for 300 years, and humanity is about to be wiped out) and the consequences for that action.

[darren-cech-art]

Quinn didn’t know how long she lay bleeding out in the mud for. It could have been days, lifetimes for all Quinn could tell. The light shifted. The soul cloud was different, but Quinn didn’t bother looking at it. She kept waiting to pass out, or for her the blood to slow, for a puppet to pop up and eat her remains. Maybe the deal had worked. Or maybe Quinn, herself, was now a puppet. What was she but something that could not die? Something that had been hollowed out for the god of love’s pleasure.

              Eventually, Quinn hesitantly sat up. She looked down at herself. Her upper armor was cracked and falling off her in awkward ways. Her linins in tattered. Fresh blood washed down her body, coating the old blood, leaving Quinn both sopping wet and sticky with congealed crusted blood. Three perfect circles the size of oranges were punched into her chest. Curiously she brought up her hand and poked at the holes. It didn’t hurt. In fact, Quinn couldn’t feel anything at all. She brought her now bloody hand up to wipe her face, her eyes oddly stinging. But something stopped her.  Her hand didn’t look like hers. There was something wrong with it. Something her fog covered brain refused to process for long minutes. There was no blue coating her fingers.

[darren-cech-art]

5-D Sunset

Referencing my first post, this was the artwork that tied for 6th place in my category in the 2023 American Art Awards. This was a juried competition with artists from 72 countries competing. This was created with Watercolor paint on 11” x 13” 110lb (160gsm) paper.

[darren-cech-art]

In my introduction, I referenced artwork that tied for second place in my category “Naive Art Other.” This was The 2024 World Art Awards. It was a juried competition with artists from over 62 countries competing.

This is entitled “Pink Walkway.” It was inspired by the various Cherry Blossom Festivals around the world. It was created using watercolor paint on an 11”x13” piece of 110lb (180gsm) watercolor paper.

[darren-cech-art]

Who is this guy anyway?

Hi everyone! I am new to Tumblr and thought I would write an introduction. I am Darren Cech, an artist based out of Nebraska (USA). I work with traditional painting mediums including watercolor, gauche, acrylic, and oils. I also create some drawing and illustrations using graphite and colored pencils.

I am a self taught artist that recently has received recognition in the art community. Most notably, in my category “Naive Art Other,” in The 2024 World Art Awards, I tied for second place. (I do not receive any form of compensation for mentioning this).

Other hobbies include traveling when I can, reading, walking, cooking, baking, and listening to music. I have one dog, Mandi Mae that I adopted from a local animal shelter. I also have one aquatic turtle, Lemon Lime, and two box turtles, Salt and Pepper.

A few fun facts. I am also a musician that took 18 years of piano lessons and still play today. I have ran and completed 12 half marathons. (I am a slow runner, I promise!).

I plan to post current artwork projects as well as occasional blog posts hence the name Hues and Musings. I plan to post a blog post once a week or so. If I am told it will be more frequent, I will update everyone. OK, that was kind of a corny joke. I am an artist whom supports other artists whether it is in my creative field or not. I look forward to meeting others.

Wow, that was long! If you read to this point, I sincerely thank you. Future posts will be shorter. Thank you again, I hope everyone has a good week!

Darren