About THE ARTIST
MY PROCESS
- I use what I term, The Frankenstein Technique... a different approach to collage. I build a new digital version of a human with a combination of photos of the body parts of myself, family and friends that ask and/or give me permission to use pieces of themselves from their personal photo collection. All photos come from my personal photo albums, and/or from friends that want me to use their photos to create a new version of themselves. I also use this technique with the animal portraits I create... sometimes combining animal and human to create a new digital species.
- I use a blank canvas, the artist tools and filters within my trusty old version of Adobe Photoshop and Corel Draw to piece it all together. It takes hundreds of layers before I am happy with the end result, and it’s always magical to me. I sometimes print the finished piece, and use markers to add extra personal touches, then take a high-quality photo of it, upload it and work on it some more.
- It can take anywhere from about a week to two weeks to create a piece... sometimes longer. The cool thing is, after I stitch the photos together, blend and smooth them out, I don’t know how it will ever turn out. I never create with a plan. In addition, each piece I create becomes part of the collage inventory. What I mean by that is, I will also use bits and pieces from the collection of art I created, giving me even more to work with than just photos. You can think of this like paper dolls. Does anyone remember them? The paper dolls came with a set of different pieces (in that case, clothing and accessories) but in my case, the pieces include eyes, lips, hair, and basically everything you see in my art.
- Although I love creating portraits, I also enjoy creating abstract art... sometimes with a fusion of surrealism and cubism.
- People tend to ask me if I listen to music while I create... and of course the answer is YES. I normally listen to trance-like sounds, and techno music. It takes me away to another place and allows me to tap into my artistic side. I hope you enjoy my art and the description for each piece as the storytelling is also part of the creative process and gives life to the portrait. original art portrait art
I have a Bachelor's Degree in Art History with a focus on Studio Art.
PORTRAITS
- I have a thing for close up portraits. Most of the work in my collection are of faces. I love a good portrait. When you look at them, it gives you the opportunity to wonder about the person in it. Portraits have been around since our ancestors painted on cave walls. The Romans loved it, the Renaissance artists adored it and even the Impressionists with their preference for Nature couldn't resist an interesting human face. Let's face it, humans really are a fascinating subject.
WHY ARE WE DRAWN TO FACES?
- One reason is that we humans are biologically programmed to be drawn to faces and connect with them. It is part of our survival to live in small, sociable packs and be able to read each other's facial expressions. Which is why it's so easy for a human face to convey certain feelings. There is a vast number of different expressions, and thus feelings, we can convey with our lips alone. It's truly amazing how even the slightest adaption can completely change the feel of the portrait.