IMAGINATIVE WORLDS THAT ARE FRACTALS OF REALITY

People look at my work and say: "They are photos."

But they are not.

Instead, my pictures are made of fractals put together to create imaginary scenes that look like reality, but aren't.

Fractals are how we remember things.

Imagine a Christmas tree.

Although there are thousands of different ones, you can only remember a few… yet your mind can make a forest out of those few. They are your "forest fractals."

When we dream, or daydream, we create mental images from all the different fractals stored in memory.

The psychologist Karl Jung theorized the existence within mankind of a "collective unconscious" containing archetypal images of many sorts… visual information transferred genetically from one generation to the next.

Thus, the version of reality we see, hear, smell, taste, feel and live seems to be a mixture of inherited as well as "real" fractals.

So it goes with my illustration work.

Using traditional and new media, I make fractals of the things I see around me, then recombine them to create imaginary versions that may look real, but which are illusions drawn from fractals.

That's the difference between photography and illustration.

Photographs require reality. Illustrations do not.

No matter how interpretive, photographs are "captures" of reality.

The process of making a photograph is, therefore, derivative.

On the other hand, no matter how realistic, an illustration is an illusion born of imagination, which never existed "out there."

The process of making an illustration, therefore, is creative.

As academic as that may sound, it is an important distinction because it enables the creation of a style and a body of work… more than a "mere" collection.

I'd sentimentally say my purpose is to provide a kind of souvenir… a reminiscence… because in French "souvenir" means "to remember."

My souvenirs are on steroids, presenting the world as I want it remembered… a dazzling array of hyper-realistic images that command attention and take you into their own world for a moment, to pause and consider another side of life.


TECHNIQUE

The technique is called painting with pictures. Consider the picture shown, called Cystern Dancers:



The model was airbrushed as a body painting. That was merged with a modified version of a photo made at the Cysterns in Istanbul. Both of those appear behind a "curtain" of iridescent varnish.

Other pictures can involve the bringing together of a hundred or more picture elements.

If they hadn’t already used the word “pixels” for something else, it would perfectly describe the concept of picture pieces.

Instead, I call them "fractals."



The illustrations are available five ways:

Giclée on canvas
Giclée on matte or luster-finish paper
Giclée on UVM (ultraviolet light sensitive paper) called Nite Lites
Duratrans (photographic transparencies) displayed as light boxes
Light Jet (photographic paper) in matte or luster finish

Each illustration is part of a limited edition, fully certificated. Each edition has several size groups. The serialized number of each piece describes its identity. A / 2 / 22 means Group A, number two, out of a total of 22. Other inscriptions are "AP" which means artist's proof (each group has four) and "NFS," which means not for sale.

The "S" group is for special custom sizes. You can order any picture in any size. However, be sure to keep the same proportions. For example, if a picture is one foot wide and two feet high, the ratio is 1:2. If it is made 2 feet wide it will be 4 feet high. To calculate the ratio, divide the longest measurement by the shortest. A picture that is 20 X 60 would be 60 divided by 20, which equals 3 and makes that picture's ratio 1:3. If you order it 50 inches wide it will be 150 inches high (3 times 50).

Canvas prints have at least two coats of archival varnish. (Extra varnish can be specially ordered, providing more shine.) Some pictures feature "iridescent varnish" with small metal flakes for a shimmering sparkle effect.

Paper prints are normally mounted under glass and framed. However, coatings and laminations are available on a special-order basis, and they are recommended for glassless displays.

Giclée prices are based on the size of the picture, in US dollars.

1-2 Sq.Ft. $75.00 per Sq.Ft.
2-4 Sq. Ft.$70.00 per Sq. Ft.
4-8 Sq. Ft. $65.00 per Sq. Ft.
8-12 Sq.Ft. $60.00 per Sq. Ft.
12+ Sq. Ft. $55.00 Per Sq.Ft.

Framing and custom finishing services are available. Please call to discuss at (206) 369-7291 or email

Production of my work is handled by Vashon Island Imaging, a large-format fine arts printing and publishing studio, which I own and operate. The company offers a full range of imaging services. Details and prices are at www.vashonislandimaging.com

My new book about pixel-perfect printing, Giclée Prepress - The Art of Giclée has launched and is available at www.gicleeprepress.com

Finally, my blog about The Art of Giclée is at http://gicleeprepress.blogspot.com

Thank you for your interest in my work.