In the span of 40 years I have participated in and witnessed an evolution of the integration of electronics and art, education and entertainment media. My roots are in photography. I learned composition through a viewfinder. Aspect ratios for film, video and computer graphics may have changed over the years but composition remains critical. My early work used language but was not dependent upon it. My goal was to be equally understood or misunderstood in any language. Much of my earlier work was based in motion. In the last few years, the focus of my work has seen a concentration on still imagery derived from motion or with motion implied. For me, electronic media are not merely new tools or an expanded palette on which to work, but also afford the opportunity to merge different skills into genuinely new media that have their roots based squarely in traditional art forms.

Background

I was lucky. I grew up in Mayberry. My grandfather was a sculptor, mold maker and worked in plaster. Soon after I leaned to walk, I spent hours and hours on his knee while he worked. I learned what negative space was practically before I learned the alphabet. My father, an immensely practical man, knew and practiced photographic documentation- both still and motion pictures. He allowed me to use his equipment. Although we had to watch our pennies, the purchase of Kodachrome was endorsed- especially if it was properly exposed. My older sister was a dancer and my brothers played sports so I had plenty of subjects. With my mother’s continual support, I soon commandeered a closet and set up a darkroom. My life changed when I finally was able to acquire a 35mm SLR (Single Lens Reflex) camera and learned to bulk load Tri-X black and white film. I began to feel like I knew the medium well enough to express myself. At Indiana University, I was influenced by studies with the photographer Henry Holmes Smith. I was startled by his later abstract work which was often created without a camera. He challenged and expanded my ideas of both art and photography.

In 1972 I began to work with electronic imagery; I have been captivated by this field ever since that time. I had worked with motion pictures and loved it. But, motion picture film can be a very expensive medium with which to experiment. In 1974 and 1975, I worked as a V.I.S.T.A. (Volunteers In Service to America) volunteer with the Community Center in Wilson, North Carolina where I worked to develop a ceramics program for children. Access to The Sony Portapak in the 1970’s allowed new approaches to both documentation and art. The technology remained relatively expensive. So, I found myself working in a cable television station to learn and to gain access to the equipment. I was charged with working with the personnel and clients of a Community Action Against Poverty Agency both in production and in the implementation of training programs for the use of small format video equipment. During this period, I came to discover the value and power of the use of video for social change. From 1978 to 1993, I taught and worked with Butler University to develop and utilize instructional technology and worked extensively with video, computer graphics, computer animation and digital video. During these years I received support from organizations such as The Indiana Arts Commission, The Indianapolis Arts Council, Holcomb Research Institute, The Center for New Television and the American Film Institute. In 1990, I served as adjunct faculty at Herron School of Art to teach Visual Research in Video and Computers. My work at Butler University allowed me the opportunity to assist and or collaborate with a variety of community organizations and individual artists toward the creative utilization of electronic communications. My work with both scientists and artists provided considerable insight into the process of electronic visualization. It enabled me to consult with AT&T Graphic Software Labs for the development of digital video editing systems and software. In 1991, I served as beta site for the development of Apple Computer’s QuickTime Media technology. It was life changing. QuickTime enabled me to more easily merge the media with which I had been working for 20 years. Recent developments in Digital Archival Printing have allowed me to return to printing my own work.

For the last 15 years, I have worked as an independent contractor and artist in the field of digital media including photo and video production, editing, compression and various forms of motion graphics for both the World Wide Web and print. Throughout this period, I continued the pursuit of the creation, exhibition and sale of my art work.

A.B. in Psychology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana
M.S. in Education, Butler University, Indianapolis, Indiana