Art speaks not to the mind, but to the heart and to the soul. It resonates with our being. It stirs a memory of, or a yearning for, a time of total connection to something. That something may have been real, or it may be a fantasy we still entertain, but the image of it expresses our true character laid bare in its longing.

Digitally Transformed Photographs

“Virtual Conceptions” is the term I use to describe these images. To create them I start by taking a photograph of the intended subject and scanning it into my computer. Then the fun begins!!! My computer becomes a “cyber-darkroom” and I am able to apply any number and combination of digital effects and filters to artistically interpret the theme of the original photograph. Often I will work with a particular photograph over a long period of time and save several versions of it along the way. That was the case with these three images of the World Trade Center in New York City, all created prior to 9/11/01. All of them started from the same photograph. The first one, with its shadows in the sky, is a nice pensive rendition. It makes absolutely no sense for there to be shadows in the sky, especially given the position of the sun hitting the building and reflecting off the water, but so what! I like it. In the words of J. Craig Annan: "The aim of a picture is not to demonstrate any theory or fact, but is to excite a certain sensory pleasure." The second is a more whimsical and fun version, a little further from reality but closer to my take on New York. At least at that time. George Bernard once said of photographer Alvin Langdon Coburn: “His aim is always to convey a mood and not to impart local information…” And the third is a completely abstract design that merely suggests the World Trade Center. It IS the World Trade Center, but it is also pure form, color, light, shadow and design. It is a Virtual Conception.

Sometimes I guide the process, knowing exactly what I am trying to accomplish with the image, what I want it to say. Putting a bike wheel in motion or making a fish swim for example. But many times the process guides me… and I sit, clicking away, watching the image become what it wants to be. That’s what happened with "Planet of the Jellyfish," “Beyond Jellyfish," and "Jellyfish Abstract 3.”

At those times I simply depend on the “wow factor” to tell me when to stop. When what I see on my monitor causes me to say “Wow!” I hit “save” and, other than cleaning it up a little, I’m done. The chatty Anonymous once said: “To be sure of hitting the target, shoot first and, whatever you hit, call it the target.” Sometimes art is like that.

Digital Drawings

Drawing with a mouse is a real challenge! These drawings evolved from my work with photographs and Photoshop. Working in that medium, I often use the wave filter and other effects to give my subjects a loose, dreamy, unstructured, intangible feel. In studying those pieces, I one day found myself understanding, really knowing, that I could get a simpler yet more intense version of this same effect by using an almost scribbling stroke to "draw" freehand (or should I say free-mouse??)… And I could create a scene from my mind rather than from a photograph! I realized that with a very minimalist style I could suggest a complete scene or story. I grasped that I'd be able, with only a few squiggly lines, to explore the subjects, express the emotions, and answer the questions… at least for myself. Just as a haiku poem uses only a few words and syllables to get across a complete idea or universal truth, these drawings economize on stroke, shape, color, and form… yet they still evoke deep emotion and strong reaction. Like abstract art, these drawings are more about suggestion and aesthetics that they are about reality.

There are many plusses to drawing in Photoshop as opposed to on paper: Moving the layers around in Photoshop helps me to depict depth, something I never had to worry about when working with photographs that contain a natural foreground and background. Adding gradient color to the 'sky' or 'sea,' or creating a geometric background such as the one found in "Loves Me, Loves Me Not" adds interest without detracting from the simplicity. Yet starting with a blank 'canvas' (in this case an empty white rectangle) rather than a photograph can be terrifying! There are many minuses too: The obvious lack of a starting point. The lack of light and shadows to define form and bulk. The cumbersomeness of the mouse, or even the digital pen.

In confronting that blank canvas with just a few scribbly lines at my disposal, I learned that every thought is a starting point, and every line is a form. I learned that the mind can fill in the blank spaces better than I can, making the image say something different to each person who views it, adding it's own story and frame of reference. I learned that the artist only starts the work; the viewer competes it. I learned to see images more as a discussion than as a statement… non-verbal communication from my heart to yours and back again as you interpret what you see and attribute that to me.