Art & Technology

My name is Barbara Craver.

My experience with computers is in my previous occupation as an attorney, more recently I have been using my computer for emails, documents, spreadsheets, and photo organization and formatting. I am fairly comfortable with trying new programs, but have been frustrated in the past with using Photoshop Elements, since I don’t really understand layers. I have used Photoshop Album to organize my 40,000 plus digital images which include family photos, art reference photos and portfolios, however I am concerned that this program may not be supported or suitable for such large amounts of images. I use my computer to save all my digital images, to print photos for reference in painting and to share copies of my paintings.

My digital art experience is limited to manipulating images in Photoshop Elements, primarily the contrast and color saturation as well as cropping. I like the posterize filter to use in simplifying an image as part of my preparation for an actual analog painting. I am using my computer with a digital projector to enlarge photos I’ve taken of students for a mural project I am working on for Thunder Mountain High School. I use the project to keep the figures in scale with each other and the format of the mural. I do a preliminary sketch in one color of paint as the intial line image for the painting. I then use photographs printed onto paper as my references for the acrylic painting of the figures (standing figures are around 48").

This class was attractive to me to expose me to new ways of making art, and new ways of thinking about art, also as a means to expand my current art ideas into new mediums. I particularly like drawing figures, and hope to find some ideas for using my gesture studies and figure drawings into larger or more permanent art pieces, they are currently primarily charcoal and on non archival paper.

Goals for this class: get comfortable with working on my images both as final works in themselves but also as sources for my painting. Also to use the computer as a tool to try out ideas that would be difficult to imagine without it. For example I am working on a mural project with many figures. I would like to use the computer to assist in arranging the figures in the proposed mural space without having to physically move them around. To be able to place them together in different arrangements to plan for the final installation.

Projects interested in tackling here. I have an aspect of my mural project in which I would like to incorporate ephemera and photos of students that are not in the major painting of individual figures. I am wondering if there is some way I can work with these images and ephemera in some part of the mural. I think I need the visioning aspect of the computer as much as in manipulating the images. I would also love to get to feel comfortable in drawing on the computer, the WACOM part of this looks really cool. Maybe even plein air painting on the computer?

I usually work on a PC but may be purchasing a new laptop this year and would consider switching to a Mac if it was better for my uses and would support and work with the other computers and information we have on our PCs.

I identify myself as an artist, although I do not support myself solely with my art work. I do find my primary sense of accomplishment and excitement in life is in regard to making art and learning to increase my skills and vocabulary, as well as ways of thinking about art and life.

I would consider that this class will be enjoyable and exciting for me if I learn new skills in Photoshop, new programs, new ways of thinking about doing and producing art. I am hoping that fellow students in this class will expose me to new ideas and directions. I would also like ideas on how to make more money as an artist, in putting my work on the internet, selling images on cards or other media. I am interested in dicussions about making art that sells, having a style that collectors are familiar with, adding new mediums and evolving styles.