Macworld … and a digital discussion
Today was another day of informative and inspiring sessions. The first was with Lesa King was taught “graphic secrets for creatives using Photoshop.” She is the authos of Photoshop CS4, The Missing Manual, published by O’Reilly.
The next was with Deke McClelland. Deke is considered one of the top Photoshop “guru’s” – along with Scott Kelby and some others popular in NAPP circles. His session was on Photoshop CS4, going over the new features that make an upgrade worth the money. He also has several published titles with O’Reilly.
The final session was a panel discussion called “digital art pioneers and trendsetters.” Above is Jeremy Sutton (and me) next to an incredible painting he did of Barack Obama called “The Speech.” He also signed a smaller version of the art for me (which I’m thrilled about). Jeremy’s artwork is very recognizable with its vivid colors and bold brush style, and he’s a clear master of his digital tools, with Corel’s Painter program being a favorite. If you’d like to obtain a limited edition poster of “The Speech,” visit his site here.
Jeremy was born in London (received a degree in physics from Cambridge) and now lives in San Francisco. He teaches classes on using Corel. While I’ve not taken any of his long workshops, I have taken some of his shorter sessions. If you have the opportunity, I highly recommend a class with him. He teaches with gusto and treats everyone with with a sincere interest in who they are and how what he teaches may be beneficial. He also loves dancing and will often treat the class with a soft shoe should there be the time.
The panel was hosted by Rob MacDonald who is the project manage for Corel Corp. Included was Bruce Dorn, Andrew Jones, Jason Manly, and Fay Sirkis. Each are incredible artists creating jaw-dropping work.
If the work wasn’t enough, my eyes widened when I saw the Wacom tablet belonging to Andrew Jones (shown above standing). He added a guitar strap to his tablet, and he modified it to musically respond to his pen stylus stroke. He does digital live paintings at concerts (he also has, among other things, worked for George Lucas at Industrial Light and Magic and has his art is on the cover of Corel Painter X).
Each artist shared how they got involved in working in a digital media, what trends they see, and they addressed the misconception that digital art isn’t real art. That discussion focused on how we are on the cusp of a paradigm shift and how with each shift comes questions and doubt from others. Bruce discussed how traditional galleries have always been behind the times when showing artwork. Faye gave a quick but fascinating overview of art throughout various stages in history and how technology played a role in the tools used for the creation of art. She explained, for example, how Vermeer (born 1632) used a “camera obscura,” a lens-like device that helped produce perspective. The chain of events continued to today’s use of digital tools.
They weren’t suggesting that traditional media is going away, but rather than there is a powerful array of digital tools that artists can use. And, just because you have digital tools doesn’t mean you are instantly an artist. They weren’t talking about using various filter recipes to create one look or another look, they were talking about using the tools as a way to further your passion and to authentically create — no different than using a charcoal or a machine stitch.
I was absolutely awestruck by the artwork they shared, and I left the session feeling very energized and very good that my work is taking the direction it is. It is exciting to witness how digital technology is changing our world and how we incorporate it into our artwork.
Tomorrow is the last day of the show … more to follow …