Transition from Painting to Digital Printmaking

In 2013, I was asked by a viewer: "What is your medium/media? Some of your pieces must originate with brushstrokes, while others appear to be collages of photos." 

The following was my response:

Here’s how this operation works. Going back to the years when I did oil paintings, I would make preparations for each painting with detailed drawings and watercolor sketches, trying to anticipate every nuance of design. Then came the design transfer to the canvas and the “under painting” to determine the color, shading and three-dimensional form. When I was satisfied with this, I would begin the final painting. This process took me about a year.

Now enter the computer age. This is a powerful tool which can be utilized in the creative process. I work up these compositions by assembling collage pieces from numerous magazines, carefully selecting only those images that catch my eye. This phase might take two or more weeks. When I am satisfied that I have most of the details resolved, I transfer the composition to the computer via a scanner. Now comes the “polishing” phase. Every detail is again examined and judged via Photoshop. I am able to do a number of things at this point: I perfect the edges of each segment and remove all surface imperfections on the image (dust particles, glue, extraneous marks, etc.). Then I can cut out and replace and/or move sections that are unsatisfactory until all compositional flaws are resolved. At this point, seeing the image can be a challenge.

“Seeing” has to include mentally comprehending. It is easy to think that the composition is finished when it, in fact, is not. At a later date, I may discover that I still have some glaring flaws in the image design that need to be resolved. Once assured that I have done the best I can, I make a print of the composition.

At this point, I will frequently begin another process of taking the original computer image/collage and mutating it to create several design variations, perhaps as many as four or five. It is my intention that each variation is unique, and my direction is to move toward abstraction, i.e., the final variation has no resemblance to the original image. At that point, I am finished with this particular idea and proceed to the next collage. Therefore, the collage images frequently serve as suggestions for further compositions.

You can see the advantage I have now: instead of one composition per year, I can make dozens – all different and all “perfect”. So there has been a departure from the techniques of the old (i.e., canvas painting – no more brushes, oil pigments, etc.).

Where do I stand now in the scope of things? I may be on the edge of a new art form. This is not an unusual place to be, and, historically, it has been the story of many artists. I can say that I’ve not seen anybody who is doing what I am doing. This technique is definitely opening up, and we expect that it will assert itself in the future.