I started getting into creating art around 2001, creating mostly just desktop wallpapers for my computer with some old 3D software, I started putting them on all the school computers as wallpapers which got the attention of a couple of my teachers, my photography teacher and my IT teacher. Digital cameras and photoshop were still super new back then, the school digital cameras actually used floppy disks, I would hire a school camera and a box of floppy disks and explore everything I could, learning to take creative photographs, then using photoshop to combine them into unique images. My Photography and IT teachers had the foresight to recognise that I was exploring something quite interesting, they got together and created a special curriculum just for me to combine what I was learning with creating my 3D images with my photography work.

 

Back in 2001 digital art was still disregarded a fair bit in gallery settings but by chance there was a global travelling digital art exhibition passing through our tiny town at the art gallery showcasing some of the worlds best digital artists at the time. My photography teacher took our class to the exhibition and it was just like that movie moment of seeing something and instantly falling in love and finding your path in life. I was completely blown away by this emerging style of art and studied every inch of every part of those pieces. I even went back over the next week to revisit the gallery and study the pieces as much as possible while the exhibition was still in town. From then it took a good 10 years of constant practice, self critique, study and work before I reached a high level of quality and really started to become recognised for my art.

 

Each piece varies significantly, but those larger detailed pieces like Trancension usually take around 4-6 weeks. I tend to spend about 1 week developing a concept then the next 4 or so weeks creating the piece. The moment it’s completed is when it no longer needs anything else to effectively express the concept or idea. It’s hard to describe this, but it’s something every creative person “just knows” when something is completed.

 

I enjoy creating the highly detailed pieces for a few reasons, but mostly because the creative process for them is very therapeutic, and I personally love exploring detailed artworks where something new is discovered each time you look at it.

 

For the first 10 years my art was actually quite dark in theme, colour and tone, around 2010-2011 I had some life changing experiences that transformed not only my life but the art that I create as well. The blues and purples really came from that evolution in my on life and found their way into my art. I actually can’t explain it beyond that, it’s something that a lot of the pieces tend to gravitate towards naturally.

 

 

I’m pretty much constantly studying and learning new skills and techniques to create art, 10 years is a very long time to try and look ahead in such a fast moving space but as new tools and techniques are emerging I like to explore them and see if it’s something that I can include in my creative process or not. As far as things I’d like to try, I do dabble a bit with mandala art, abstract art and landscapes, so I would love to develop these further as well. I dedicate a portion of my day to self growth and study and I find it really enjoyable learning new skills and techniques.

 

 

This is something I get asked about quite a lot and I enjoy the question because it essentially makes me think more about why I create art in the first place. For me the art has always been an exploration of myself, consciousness, love, life and finding my place in the universe. I think that deeply personal nature of the art is why people tend to see themselves in my art, like it’s documenting their own experiences and self growth as well, which I find really beautiful and creates a connection and understanding between myself, the art and the viewer. I believe that’s the real importance of creating the art that I make, finding ways to allow us to understand ourselves and each other just a little bit better. I think we could all use a bit of that right now.