DAVID BEATTY
I am a multidisciplinary artist working in film theater, ceramics, painting and photography.
I have written and created dozens of original film projects with my production company Double Yellow Line Films include Surviving New Year's, GET SPY, The Wasteland, Skeleton Love, Human Project, Grocery Store Romance and The White Room.
I tell stories that investigate relationships of family, friends, love, social issues and the environment. However, as a lover of all stories, no genre or topic is off limits. From comedy to drama, abstract and the macabre, my personal library of work is constantly evolving and growing to accommodate my insatiable appetite for creativity.
Painting - My mother was a painter (among other things) and was my first influence. I remember finding a box of oil paints in the garage, sort of hidden away and out of sight. She had simply become too busy raising children and stopped painting. It was like discovering a past life, a secret life she once lived as an artist! Fortunately, she let me use them and I began painting. She taught me many things, including how to use a paint knife or squeezing the paint directly out of the tube and onto the canvas. There were no rules and only innovation with her approach! It gave me freedom to explore and discover my own voice.
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I have also taught acting classes, screenplay writing workshops and improvisation classes in Orange County and Los Angeles. My book, An Actor's Process, explores a practical approach to acting, offering specific tools to create truthful, original and exciting work. With over 30 years experience, the book also helps readers discover their own personal process. A good creative process turns your imagination into doable actions so your goals become reality. And great work is the outcome of a healthy process.
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Photography - My first photo class was in high school. I was the un-official photographer for our school's surf team, providing photos for the year book. However, my true love of photography are portraits. I like creating an environment, discovering characters and working with actors to tell stories. My favorite photo shoots include a heavily decorated set. A world built by hand. It's the same way I approach making a movie. I like all the sets to be real and practical. For me that is the excitement in making the image. It's an environment that lives and breathes. It's my job to document that world.
Ceramics - I've been working in ceramics for over 40 years. It was probably my very first art form I took seriously. To this day it grounds me, keeps me centered and fulfills most every internal need to create. I work in both functional and non-functional pieces. However, my favorite is when the line of distinguishing the difference is blurred. For me ceramics is playful, pragmatic, fragile and carries it the potential of bringing tremendous joy, especially when shared with friends and family.
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