It comes as no surprise that the awe-inspiring advances made in digital technology the past fifteen years have impacted almost every major facet of our increasingly busier lives and remarkably shrinking worlds. Routines have been revised, methods have been reconsidered and thinking has been refreshed.
Technology's tentacles have also managed to wrap themselves around conventional art
forms such as painting, drawing, printing and photography, fusing them all together to create a new genre of art, one which was technically impossible to even fathom just a few short years back. With this new type of art has emerged a new kind of artist, one skilled in fusing conventional art forms with digital processing and
manipulation. Not only are these artists skilled with brushes, pencils, ink and lighting, but they are also proficient with the use of various software packages and computer equipment, utilizing them to enhance their current conventional skill sets. Three such top artists who have mastered this creative synthesis include ________. All three have been highly acclaimed as breakthrough creative experts within this realm of thriving art. A peek into each of their works makes it quite easy to discern why.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Writing Samples - Artist profiles
I was commissioned by a Chicago-based art magazine to profile three mixed media artists. Below are two of my features. The first artist creates a lot of science fiction, H.R. Giger-inspired pieces. The second weaves juxtaposition and unexpected elements into a distinct style all his own. I have deleted the names, locations, images, and contact information for privacy and copyright purposes.
Artist 1
A futuristic fission of sanity, long-since oxidized by apathy, lies helpless by the side of the road, gasping desperately and seeing nothing. Welcome to the macabre, grotesque circus that lies within the shadowed recesses of ______-based ringmaster _________ mind. Unveil the velvet curtain, and one will find beauty in delusional vulgarity's essence, truth amidst the tarnished machinated perversions, and hope etched on innocence in scarlet letters by the hand of a rusty butcher knife and the blunted nails of betrayal. A distinct stench of the presence of purity exists within each of _____'s creations, though one will often find himself on a scavenger hunt through the thickets of the netherworld, warbling a swan song in a foreign tongue, in order to enlighten himself to embrace it. Passionate obsession personified, _______'s background is as varied and complex as his works, and one must submit himself completely in order to gain a greater understanding of this digital kingpin's evolution.
Before he ever picked up a camera, ______ was sculpting and drawing by the age of two. That was when he really started looking at things and translating what his impressions were into 2-d and 3-d renderings. At the same time, he grew a large fascination with the design, mechanics, and architecture of the human form. It was as if his working in clay or on paper were nothing more than notes on his observations. Even at such a tender age, he recalls living in awe with the idea that one could create something from nothing. _______ then started painting in his early pre-teen years and continued doing so for decades, though he was never quite happy with what he created, nor did his paintings turn out quite like he had envisioned. Painting simply left him exhausted. He then started photographing his models for his paintings with a Polaroid, and a short while later he stumbled upon digital photography. He discovered he was really happy with some of the images he was taking as "photographs" and then realized it was the photography that actually excited him. While his infatuation with photography grew, he was also playing around with photo manipulation using Photoshop. It was then that he realized through digital manipulation of all of these photographic elements, he didn't have to compromise anymore. Now he could illustrate exactly what was in his head. The painting was merely a stepping stone to the sector of art he felt he truly belonged. However, even with his photography he still feels the need to keep evolving, changing, and creating new pieces. Stagnant is simply not a word found in _______'s dictionary.
Influenced by such icons as Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso, Max Ernst, Salvador Dali, Jackson Pollock, Helmut Newton, and J.K. Potter, _______ has always been fascinated by artists who bring something new and true to the table, artists who are honest with themselves and the world around them, artists who have something to say and who document themselves and their worlds. Through the aforementioned individuals ______ has learned to be true to himself, to realize who and what he is, and in turn, to stand proud.
As for where ______ draws his inspiration and motivation to create, he seeks everywhere from freeways to grocery stores. He walks around the street and soaks up humanity’s interactions with one another, their perceptions, their truths, and their lies, and he observes how individuals treat each other, as well as themselves. His art is simply a manifestation of who he watches and listens.
Of all the projects he has worked on over the years, _______ finds fine art to be his favorite. Typically the models find him through various media and desire to become a part of his personal, creative process. Restrictions are few, and the commitment to create something celebrated and profound is echoed loudly on both sides of the table. In turn, this sentiment brings a flourishing dynamic to the work, which money simply can not buy. ________ tends to flirt with extreme contrasts in his imagery, and in the end, if model and photographer mesh well together, a beauty and warmth is cast upon what would otherwise often be viewed as harsh and disturbing.
Other than ________’s website, his work may also be found in comic book shops. His extensive history with sculpting limited edition collectables for ____ ______ Comics has yielded him a number of honors, and to date he has created busts for _____ and the Matrix, as well as a limited edition bronze for one of Frank Frazetta’s paintings. For print or sculpture inquiries, _______ may be reached at __________________.
When he isn’t busy creating, ______ is busy observing, and he spends his free time doing both with the most feverish passion. His lofty level of unadulterated integrity heralds his reputation as one of the finest digital artists of today, as well as crowns him a prince in a dying breed of golden-hearted masters who create purely out of the love itself. Strange ways may make for strange days, but ________ takes the aesthetic to an entirely new level.
Artist 2
Very rarely does an artist come along these days whose style of shooting portraiture, fashion, or editorial is almost immediately recognizable, not only for the distinctive posing but also the framing and post-processing effects, most notably the latter. _____-based photographer and digital guru ______ is one of those few rare gems you stumble upon while wistfully combing the beaches in search of something radically different than the millions of grains of homogeneous sand that stretch on for seemingly endless miles. He has set himself far apart from the digital norm through his superior utilization of Photoshop and resulting images, which are truly unparalleled and unique to every degree. The highly-respected popularity of his work has even brought about the coining of a new phrase “_____-Style” within the booming industry. One visit to the Pandora’s Box that is his portfolio immediately pulls you into a visceral dreamscape of textures, hues, and emotions, lines between fantasy and reality blurred by the smudge of crimson lipstick and cotton candy whispers. His science fiction influences tend to mischievously hide around the corner and pop out at the opportune moment, when your imagination least expects it. In one deep breath you inhale a fragrant bouquet of contrasting moods, captivating stolen glances, complex erotic slivers, and animated psyches, but you can exhale only pure, utter admiration. How does one capture each of his subject’s personalities so keenly, so purely, so poignantly? We must venture deeper into the bellows of the creative chaotic abyss that is _______’s mind for a greater understanding of this digital sorcerer’s vision.
A long time ago in a galaxy too far away, before digital photography stormed the masses and into our frenetic and tumultuous everyday lives, ________ was studiously snapping away using film. He started out with black and white photography, processing his own prints and experimenting with various special effects and different chemical processes to see what would result. This eventually evolved into drawing directly on photographs with pencils, chalks, dyes, and airbrushing in between layers of lacquer. Influenced heavily by Picasso, Dali, Magritte, Esko, and Escher, ________ relied heavily upon his everyday life experiences as inspiration in creating each of his pieces. Then about eight years ago, while staying in Oregon, he found himself engrossed in an article about a new 2.5-megapixel digital camera that had just come out. The folds of his fascination got the better of him, and he ordered it from New York almost immediately. It was shipped to where he was staying in Oregon, and a week-long stay there turned into a two-and-a-half-month reverie. ________’s passionate love affair with digital photography had officially begun. The rest, quite simply, is history.
Though he works with Paint Shop Pro, various software packages, and plugins, 99% of what _______ creates is through Photoshop. Motivated by the end result, the aesthetic quality of the final version of an image, _______ often starts his model shoots without any preconceived notions. Often it is the collective bundle of the model’s makeup, wardrobe, mood, and personality that ______ uses as the canvas starting point, and the ideas rapidly evolve from there. It’s as if each shoot is personalized and tailored to the model to get the very best from him or her, whatever that may be in terms of fashion, science fiction, horror, nudes, commercial, and editorial work. What often starts as one type of shoot may rapidly switch tracks to another. Perhaps this is why we see such varied raw emotions from each of his models. It’s as if he just lets them go to see which direction they’ll turn.
Besides websites, one may find _______’s work in a number of publications, as well as in the bathroom of the El station at Clark and Foster in Chicago. A work in progress, the piece ______ decided to place there was just to gauge the public’s reaction. For the most part, however, _______ claims to keep a low profile. Future plans of his include publishing a couple of art books and getting involved in the music industry as an editor.
When he isn’t shooting and weaving his digital web of fantasy maidens and fashionable temptresses, ______ enjoys escaping the city and spending ample amounts of time outdoors. One will also find him in the theater enjoying the latest science fiction movie, which comes as no surprise when viewing a number of his images. In a way, _________ has actually created his own artistic reality using scientific means, the digital inputs and outputs of ones and zeros, a virtual wonderland of machinated beauty. The wizardry he performs is a magic carpet ride that leaves us breathless and begging not to ever let go. Why would you want to? Every day with ________ is a brand-new visual journey, where the baggage of routine and monotony is left at home, long-forgotten. I’ll be sure to send a postcard.
Artist 1
A futuristic fission of sanity, long-since oxidized by apathy, lies helpless by the side of the road, gasping desperately and seeing nothing. Welcome to the macabre, grotesque circus that lies within the shadowed recesses of ______-based ringmaster _________ mind. Unveil the velvet curtain, and one will find beauty in delusional vulgarity's essence, truth amidst the tarnished machinated perversions, and hope etched on innocence in scarlet letters by the hand of a rusty butcher knife and the blunted nails of betrayal. A distinct stench of the presence of purity exists within each of _____'s creations, though one will often find himself on a scavenger hunt through the thickets of the netherworld, warbling a swan song in a foreign tongue, in order to enlighten himself to embrace it. Passionate obsession personified, _______'s background is as varied and complex as his works, and one must submit himself completely in order to gain a greater understanding of this digital kingpin's evolution.
Before he ever picked up a camera, ______ was sculpting and drawing by the age of two. That was when he really started looking at things and translating what his impressions were into 2-d and 3-d renderings. At the same time, he grew a large fascination with the design, mechanics, and architecture of the human form. It was as if his working in clay or on paper were nothing more than notes on his observations. Even at such a tender age, he recalls living in awe with the idea that one could create something from nothing. _______ then started painting in his early pre-teen years and continued doing so for decades, though he was never quite happy with what he created, nor did his paintings turn out quite like he had envisioned. Painting simply left him exhausted. He then started photographing his models for his paintings with a Polaroid, and a short while later he stumbled upon digital photography. He discovered he was really happy with some of the images he was taking as "photographs" and then realized it was the photography that actually excited him. While his infatuation with photography grew, he was also playing around with photo manipulation using Photoshop. It was then that he realized through digital manipulation of all of these photographic elements, he didn't have to compromise anymore. Now he could illustrate exactly what was in his head. The painting was merely a stepping stone to the sector of art he felt he truly belonged. However, even with his photography he still feels the need to keep evolving, changing, and creating new pieces. Stagnant is simply not a word found in _______'s dictionary.
Influenced by such icons as Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso, Max Ernst, Salvador Dali, Jackson Pollock, Helmut Newton, and J.K. Potter, _______ has always been fascinated by artists who bring something new and true to the table, artists who are honest with themselves and the world around them, artists who have something to say and who document themselves and their worlds. Through the aforementioned individuals ______ has learned to be true to himself, to realize who and what he is, and in turn, to stand proud.
As for where ______ draws his inspiration and motivation to create, he seeks everywhere from freeways to grocery stores. He walks around the street and soaks up humanity’s interactions with one another, their perceptions, their truths, and their lies, and he observes how individuals treat each other, as well as themselves. His art is simply a manifestation of who he watches and listens.
Of all the projects he has worked on over the years, _______ finds fine art to be his favorite. Typically the models find him through various media and desire to become a part of his personal, creative process. Restrictions are few, and the commitment to create something celebrated and profound is echoed loudly on both sides of the table. In turn, this sentiment brings a flourishing dynamic to the work, which money simply can not buy. ________ tends to flirt with extreme contrasts in his imagery, and in the end, if model and photographer mesh well together, a beauty and warmth is cast upon what would otherwise often be viewed as harsh and disturbing.
Other than ________’s website, his work may also be found in comic book shops. His extensive history with sculpting limited edition collectables for ____ ______ Comics has yielded him a number of honors, and to date he has created busts for _____ and the Matrix, as well as a limited edition bronze for one of Frank Frazetta’s paintings. For print or sculpture inquiries, _______ may be reached at __________________.
When he isn’t busy creating, ______ is busy observing, and he spends his free time doing both with the most feverish passion. His lofty level of unadulterated integrity heralds his reputation as one of the finest digital artists of today, as well as crowns him a prince in a dying breed of golden-hearted masters who create purely out of the love itself. Strange ways may make for strange days, but ________ takes the aesthetic to an entirely new level.
Artist 2
Very rarely does an artist come along these days whose style of shooting portraiture, fashion, or editorial is almost immediately recognizable, not only for the distinctive posing but also the framing and post-processing effects, most notably the latter. _____-based photographer and digital guru ______ is one of those few rare gems you stumble upon while wistfully combing the beaches in search of something radically different than the millions of grains of homogeneous sand that stretch on for seemingly endless miles. He has set himself far apart from the digital norm through his superior utilization of Photoshop and resulting images, which are truly unparalleled and unique to every degree. The highly-respected popularity of his work has even brought about the coining of a new phrase “_____-Style” within the booming industry. One visit to the Pandora’s Box that is his portfolio immediately pulls you into a visceral dreamscape of textures, hues, and emotions, lines between fantasy and reality blurred by the smudge of crimson lipstick and cotton candy whispers. His science fiction influences tend to mischievously hide around the corner and pop out at the opportune moment, when your imagination least expects it. In one deep breath you inhale a fragrant bouquet of contrasting moods, captivating stolen glances, complex erotic slivers, and animated psyches, but you can exhale only pure, utter admiration. How does one capture each of his subject’s personalities so keenly, so purely, so poignantly? We must venture deeper into the bellows of the creative chaotic abyss that is _______’s mind for a greater understanding of this digital sorcerer’s vision.
A long time ago in a galaxy too far away, before digital photography stormed the masses and into our frenetic and tumultuous everyday lives, ________ was studiously snapping away using film. He started out with black and white photography, processing his own prints and experimenting with various special effects and different chemical processes to see what would result. This eventually evolved into drawing directly on photographs with pencils, chalks, dyes, and airbrushing in between layers of lacquer. Influenced heavily by Picasso, Dali, Magritte, Esko, and Escher, ________ relied heavily upon his everyday life experiences as inspiration in creating each of his pieces. Then about eight years ago, while staying in Oregon, he found himself engrossed in an article about a new 2.5-megapixel digital camera that had just come out. The folds of his fascination got the better of him, and he ordered it from New York almost immediately. It was shipped to where he was staying in Oregon, and a week-long stay there turned into a two-and-a-half-month reverie. ________’s passionate love affair with digital photography had officially begun. The rest, quite simply, is history.
Though he works with Paint Shop Pro, various software packages, and plugins, 99% of what _______ creates is through Photoshop. Motivated by the end result, the aesthetic quality of the final version of an image, _______ often starts his model shoots without any preconceived notions. Often it is the collective bundle of the model’s makeup, wardrobe, mood, and personality that ______ uses as the canvas starting point, and the ideas rapidly evolve from there. It’s as if each shoot is personalized and tailored to the model to get the very best from him or her, whatever that may be in terms of fashion, science fiction, horror, nudes, commercial, and editorial work. What often starts as one type of shoot may rapidly switch tracks to another. Perhaps this is why we see such varied raw emotions from each of his models. It’s as if he just lets them go to see which direction they’ll turn.
Besides websites, one may find _______’s work in a number of publications, as well as in the bathroom of the El station at Clark and Foster in Chicago. A work in progress, the piece ______ decided to place there was just to gauge the public’s reaction. For the most part, however, _______ claims to keep a low profile. Future plans of his include publishing a couple of art books and getting involved in the music industry as an editor.
When he isn’t shooting and weaving his digital web of fantasy maidens and fashionable temptresses, ______ enjoys escaping the city and spending ample amounts of time outdoors. One will also find him in the theater enjoying the latest science fiction movie, which comes as no surprise when viewing a number of his images. In a way, _________ has actually created his own artistic reality using scientific means, the digital inputs and outputs of ones and zeros, a virtual wonderland of machinated beauty. The wizardry he performs is a magic carpet ride that leaves us breathless and begging not to ever let go. Why would you want to? Every day with ________ is a brand-new visual journey, where the baggage of routine and monotony is left at home, long-forgotten. I’ll be sure to send a postcard.
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