A Site for Emerging Artists
Posts tagged digital art
Featured Artist Laurentiu Todié
Feb 24th
Artsy Shark presents featured artist Laurentiu Todié. Originally from Romania, he now lives in New York, and creates images which are not what they may seem. See more of his work here.
What are your goals?
In the tradition of Julius Caesar and Alexander the Great (among others) I’m working on conquering the World. As was demonstrated by John Cusack in the movie Max, (how’s that for name dropping? I may behave like a Miss America contestant, but I know what and whom I like) warriors are performance artists. I’m using ink and paint in my quest, but I agree with John, Art is mightier than war; besides, I don’t care much for war, I want World peace.
My Pop Art endeavor is meant to show several aspects of my reality:
1. things are usually not what they look like
2. memory can be triggered in ways that make the visual experience very satisfying
3. Magritte’s lesson of what things are not, like the not-pipe, is of the utmost importance for understanding art that may embarrass or insult some people. Another personal goal inspired by an anecdote who’s author escapes me: I’m on my way to becoming immortal; so far so good.
What are you working on now?
I went from Abstract expressionism to Pop Art with a short pause exploring chronophotography (Muybridge). In Pop Art I didn’t study Warhol’s work much, because I’m an old silkscreen printer and his techniques are no surprise to me, but I found that as an old photo retoucher as well as an offset printer, Lichtenstein’s use of halftones was intriguing. The consensus among technicians is that halftones and rosette patterns are a necessary evil, a compromise, and he is elevating them to the status of expression medium.
Working with pixels while I was a professional retoucher, made that I became (as digital photographers put it) a pixel peeper. So why not take Lichtenstein’s example and elevate them instead? As I am a painter too, I made the pixels look as the object of my utmost attention, hoping to confuse the spectators into examining the brushwork close, only to tell them later to squint and step back to see the larger picture. And if the larger picture turns out to be a familiar one, as far from the built expectations, the surprise of recognition could be a pleasant one.
What inspires you?
There are a lot of things that inspire me, like a sense of humor, decent knowledge of Art history, various experiences with technology and hopefully a good grasp of human nature. I hope that my work will contribute to greater understanding of both prior and contemporary art among nations and generations.
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New Possibilities for Artists/Interview with Stan Bowman
Jan 23rd
Are you an artist thinking of different ways to reproduce your work for sale? Have you considered having giclee prints made?
Stan Bowman, an artist, photographer and printer from New York state is an expert in creating giclees for artists, using the latest technology. We spoke recently about his business and I was impressed with his integrity, thoughtfulness and understanding of the many concerns of his customers. Stan is able to be consultative when discussing planning, printing and marketing strategies with his artist clients, drawing on his many years of experience as a successful professional himself. We talked about several aspects of giclees that emerging artists may want to know.
What are the results like?
One reaction artists often have when seeing the giclee reproductions of their work is that it’s amazing, and some say even better than the original! Stan states that it’s different, not better, but there are some expanded possibilities that giclee printing offers which can enhance the work and allow the artist to make adjustments when desired.
For example, a watercolor, when scanned, can have colors changed, deepened or corrected to the artist’s taste, even offering color saturation which would be hard to achieve with the watercolor process. Like an original watercolor, the giclee inks sink into the fibers of the paper and give an appearance hard to distinguish it as a print.
How long will giclees last?
Stan has been working with printers for many years, and spoke about their evolution. With the advent of new technology, the lifespan of giclee prints has increased significantly. Originally, printers were geared more towards business applications, and inks would fade quickly.
Within the last fifteen years, however, Epson started manufacturing printers which were geared towards artists, using archival inks. These pigment-based inks (as opposed to the old dye-based inks) have undergone extensive testing in labs. Experts expect them to last anywhere from 50 to 100 years.
Stan indicates that bright sunlight will, of course, shorten the lifespan of a print. UV glass can help reduce fading and also protect from other environmental contaminants which degrade the print.
What about beginners or artists on a tight budget?
When asked this question, Stan said that he has spoken many times with artists who are just starting out, or don’t have a lot of capital to invest into a print inventory. His suggestions:
- Understand what you will be doing with the prints. Do you have a venue to sell them? If you are not sure, proceed with caution, making a small number of each print. Look for outlets and gauge the reaction to your work. Your scanned artwork can easily be reproduced with giclee printing, in large or small numbers. Unlike lithography, you don’t need to make a run of multiples. He cites an example of a prospective client who wanted hundreds of prints made because larger quantities are discounted, without knowing whether they would sell.
- Is your body of work mature? As you grow professionally, your work will mature, and you will move up to the point where you can make a living selling your work. Without dampening the enthusiasm of the client, Stan suggests that artists consider how far they are in their development before they have too many prints made. If you are a beginner, be conservative.
- Stan works individually with artists on their plans. Offering suggestions as to marketing strategies and proper planning, he helps them make wise business decisions, especially for those just starting out. Established artists who are confident in their market may want larger quantities of prints, which have significant discounts.
What is the future of giclee?
Although nobody knows for sure, Stan sees this technology as only part of an expanding number of formats which artists can use for their work. Will we move past paper? Will future images just be digital files? He doesn’t see a time when paper or canvas won’t apply, but other ways of working will be developed. Artists needn’t be defined by one medium for their artistic expression.
Want to find out more about giclees? Visit Stan’s website at www.perfectartprints.com. His artist website, showing his portfolio, can be accessed at www.stanbowman.com.
Featured Artist Terri Lloyd
Jan 21st
Artsy Shark is pleased to present Terri Lloyd, a visual and performance artist from California. See more of Terri’s provocative work by visiting her website.
Pink Buddha and the Babyheads
“I have found a great comfort not fitting in. Even growing up, I was always outside looking in… It’s much safer and friendlier out here in the wilderness…
Am I a designer? Am I a graphic artist? Or a fine artist? Performance artist? Or none of the above? It doesn’t matter to me. I have things to say, so I say them, my way.”
Rigpa 1
Terri Lloyd is a San Francisco Bay Area transplant that has called Los Angeles home since 1980.
Rigpa 2
Under the influence of a Sixties latch-key-kid youth, the circumstances of a working class life did not provide the conventional means to an art education or experience.
Rigpa 3
“It has been challenging, but I refuse to let the institutions get in the way of my education. Knowledge is now available at our fingertips. There is no excuse for ignorance. Ignorance has become a choice.”
Introduced to the Apple Macintosh in 1987 a love affair with digital art was born. Terri has never viewed computer generated imagery as a movement. The computer and software are tools. How the operator chooses to use them remains as individual as any other artist working in any other medium.
Bunny Gun
“I compare the work I create to advertising. It’s about formulating the right message first, and not becoming a sporting event half-time fiasco that baffles the viewer with high tech circus tricks.”
Terri’s approach is something that she terms a “whole-istic Zen,” which emulsifies decades of commercial and graphic arts expertise into pointed, often controversial visuals. Seasoning her images with pun and insinuation, all the while thumbing her nose at conventional wisdom and other popular absurdities.
Its all good
She currently resides in Northeast Los Angeles with her husband, three cats and one boisterous macaw.
Featured Artist Rusty Wahl
Nov 2nd
Artsy Shark presents featured artist Rusty Wahl. You can see more of her work by visiting her website.
Many people write their experiences in diaries and novels but mine are on canvas, graphics, assemblages, photography and mixed media. My love for all the arts: music, dancing, theatre, are incorporated in my paintings as I try to capture the rhythm, color, joy, pain of just living. I studied watercolor with Terry Madden and oils with the Bob Ross group and I’m a certified instructor in each media.
Since the age of 12 my dream was to be a performing artist and a painter. My parents who owned a summer camp in upstate New York gave me the opportunity to direct the children’s arts program where acting, painting, music, writing plays, became an important part of my life. At the University of Miami, I continued with theatre and education degrees. Classmates were Jerry Herman of “Hello Dolly” fame and Majel Roddenberry of Star Trek. Many graduates in the Drama department went to New York and Hollywood and found jobs doing what they love.
For many years I taught grades K-3 in Miami and Orlando. For twenty years 1972-1992 I was editor of Sunshine Artist magazine and had the opportunity to travel to outdoor art shows in southern states, meet creative artists, judge a few shows and make wonderful friends.
Why I do what I do.
It is the one consistent love in my life that I can rely on, and although alone during this process, I am one with the universe. It is when my brain and hands produce images merging with my inner thoughts that I reach for the stars. I want my art to be accessible to everyone who dreams and dares to be unique.
I have gained a sense of who I am now and where I have been…and matured. My paintings, graphics and photography have all come together in harmony and I am whole, sharing my Art with you.
Featured Artist Lisa Kretchman
Oct 20th
Artsy Shark presents the work of featured artist Lisa Kretchman. Enjoy her portfolio, and please visit her website to see more about this fascinating artist.
I am an artist working across a broad range of media – from digital work in Flash animation and multimedia, to fine art in pastel, acrylic and mixed-media.
I started out as an illustrator using soft pastels and scratchboard. While attending Massachusetts College of Art and Design, I learned how to create traditional illustrations and was also introduced to Adobe Photoshop. Those blended skills helped me to find my first job in the software industry, where I transitioned to digital illustration and animation. I expanded my practice to include Flash animation and multimedia development.
After working over 15 years as a multimedia artist, stress and some bad experiences in the industry led me to a period of job burnout. I wanted to create art that had more meaning, and to have more ownership over my work. Joining several local art groups, I became focused on more personal art projects. Eventually I left my day job and began freelancing so that I could spend more time painting from my Massachusetts studio.
Though I enjoy painting with acrylic, I work primarily in mixed-media with soft pastels. The vibrancy of the pastels allows me to add impact and emotion to my art. I will often create a watercolor underpainting or work with a darker paper to make the pastel really “pop” and build the painting with the brightest of colors on the top layer. I rarely use a fixative, instead concentrating on adding texture to the surface and blending occasionally with my fingers.
Much of my work is of traditional subject matter – landscapes, seascapes, florals and portraits. Creating these paintings is joyful and peaceful, which I try to communicate through the artwork. I take pictures of my travels as reference for my paintings, and I enjoy the diverse environment of New England with its mountains, oceans, forests and wildlife. Many of my paintings depict scenes from the Blackstone Valley area where I live, as well as my garden and the nearby ocean where I go boating with my family.
Because of my illustration background, I also enjoy creating more narrative works, incorporating story and symbolism. During the last year, I began experimenting with a series of heart artwork because of the easily recognizable shape. I planned a series of paintings that would be shared with a community, incorporating portraits of the recipients into a companion multimedia piece. I had created some preparatory small heart pieces, when a family member responded to the artwork. The hearts reminded her of her daughter Olivia, who had been born with a very rare congenital heart defect (CHD), and tragically, had died at thirteen days old.
This conversation opened the door to a larger and more fulfilling project. Olivia’s parents had created a charity, Olivia’s Heart Fund, to support CHD research and awareness. We began working together and the charity located families of children affected by CHD who were willing to participate, sending me the stories of their battle with CHD. I am creating mixed-media artwork inspired by their writing, using watermedia, pastel, metal leaf and metallic inks.
My series of Art Hearts for Olivia’s Heart Fund will be shown in February of 2011 during CHD month in the southern New England area. I hope to make people aware of the effects of CHD in their community, and to bring in donations from the sale of art prints.
My art blog details the process behind many of my paintings and my journey as an artist. More examples of my art, as well as art prints and desktop wallpapers can be found on my website.
Featured Artist Leah Jay
