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My art
has found expression in the past with paints and inks and assemblages
of found and collected things as well as entanglements of twine,
twigs, gut and clay. When I attended college to study art there
were no classes in computer graphics because the small personal
computer didn't exist yet. My shows and awards were of "traditional"
art, which encompassed a wide range from paintings to monoprints to organic-shamanic
wall hangings and constructions.
For the past
several decades I've been creating art with the help of a wonderful
tool called a computer. My love affair with digital art began
with a Commodore 64 and my discovery of computer graphics. I've
moved far beyond that simple first computer but the joy of being
able to “draw with light” with this wonderful new tool
has never left me. Art created with these electronic tools still
require all of the compositional and artistic skills I've always
used in traditional work, but it has added a dimension which
was not available before. I can now experiment and change directions
in my work without starting over from the beginning or doing
a lot of deconstruction. The result of this is that my images
have better composition and color balance. I can use drawing
and photography in one image. I can mix oils and watercolors
and add a camera's lens flare. It's wonderful to have the opportunity
to explore new directions and techniques.
I tend to work
intuitively, rarely beginning with anything more than the most
general idea of what I want, and sometimes not even that much.
Often I just begin to play with shapes and color until the image
begins to reveal itself. My work is often spiritual, often dark
and complex. With it I explore my own passions, doubts, fears,
joys, and spirituality. My art also asks the viewer what moves
them, what bothers them, and what speaks to their own spirit.
Now, the wheel
is about to come full turn as I continue with digital art but
also begin to paint and do non-digital work again. The merging
of digital and non-digital work is an area of ongoing exploration
and I don't know where it will lead. As my non-digital galleries
grow with new work, I hope you will also enjoy the adventure
through uncharted territory.
In addition to being an artist,
I spent over a decade studying the martial art of Ninjutsu (although
I have stopped now). There are a many photos of trips to Japan
in my Japan Photo Gallery. I also have
a section called "Ninjutsu
Memories" where there are a some photos of myself (I
have very few) at various ninjutsu events. I've also spent many
years studying Vajrayana Buddhism and revamped and ran the website
of the Tibetan Cultural Center in Bloomington, Indiana for some
years. The Tibetan Cultural Center is headed by Thubten J. Norbu,
elder brother of His Holiness the Dalai Lama of Tibet. As of
2004 I handed the website over to others to redo and moved to
Michigan. Yes, I love snow. I've also studied various aspects
of shamanism through Michael Harner's Foundation for Shamanic
Studies and have been exploring the power of sound---something
first entered into via esoteric Buddhism and which I continue
to explore after attending a wonderful Mantra workshop given
by Thomas
Ashley-Farrand.
Basically I'm interested in
just about anything which explores the potential of the human
mind and spirit. My readings along those lines have included
books on shamanism, Buddhism, energy work and quantum physics.
If you want to see a bit more
of SkyDancer, you can look here.
If you'd like to see photos of my new little Parrotlet (as of
Oct. 24, 2006), look here. |
