I construct an abstract, dynamic 3D world of my own design. I write code which creates and moves objects in the world using complex algorithms. I shine lights on this world, and place a virtual camera in it. Then I “take a picture”. When and for how long to open the virtual shutter determines the quality of the motion blur produced as objects move past the camera. So each image is a time lapse exposure of an algorithmically orchestrated temporal event. Gradually, I adjust the motion algorithm, as well as the lighting, colors, camera and timing, searching through the space until I find an image which speaks to me, where I feel the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. I seek poetic minimalism, subliminal associations, ambiguity, shifting processes and structures, and a sense of the passage of time.
I have always loved the clean, crisp look of prints. So the final form of these images is prints. But the screen, which shines light into your eyes and mixes colors in light, is very different from paper, which has light shining on it and mixes colors in pigments. Careful conversion from screen to paper is a critical part of the creative process. I use archival Hahnemuhle Museum Etching paper and archival pigment inks. I adjust contrast, lightness, and tone to perfect the printed form of the image. More subtle and nuanced than the screen, the resulting prints are textural physical art objects you can hold in your hand.
I compute the images at very high resolution, producing rich, fine details not fully visible online. Examples can be seen at the bottom of the images page on this site. These details are enhanced through the prints; they often look like gestural marks made by pastels or chalk streaking across the surface of soft, white paper. I intend to print most of the images between 20 and 40 inches wide, accentuating these qualities in a way which cannot be experienced on a monitor. Printing all the images is still a work in progress. I will update this site as this process progresses.