Scales, finger exercises, theory and daily practice were requirements when learning to play the piano. Students were required to perform in recitals and in annual competitions. As we progressed we would play a piece in one key and transpose it in another. It was quite beautiful to hear a piece in another key. Sometimes 2 people played 2 pianos together for a piano duo. This is how I see new media works — a transposition.
Though painting and drawing also required theory, daily practice, etc., historically, transposing a work was a much more difficult process — mostly that was achieved through traditional printmaking techniques and they aren’t a simple process. So, as composers and performers can transpose a piece of music from one key to another, visual artists can do that too using our digital tools and rather quickly. Although it can be time-consuming depending on what the artist is trying to achieve, numerous iterations can be viewed and worked from, in a very short time.
We have the obvious digital tools — camera, computer, software, apps with the latest algorithms, etc. — the keys — colour, pattern, shade, shadow, texture, transparency, etc. that give us the opportunity to transpose a work into a wide range are right at our fingertips. Possibilities have existed for many years but it’s only been a few years since some technologies have become more affordable and/or even accessible. In addition, technology itself has become more artful and storage & processing capacities have increased. All of this matters. You need large digital files to process and print works that can come back into physical reality. Clearly, visual artworks can remain virtual as well, but that isn’t how I choose to work.
Now years later my approach when composing a visual piece of art, it isn’t set in stone. Of course, the goal is to create a harmonious composition whatever the subject matter and more often than not through experience and learning, it happens, but not always.
Now when something works whether it is a study or a finished piece, I can experiment with it and —
- transform it into something else as a whole — iterations of the original work.
- transform parts of it, variations of it or simply crop the edges and again — iterations of the original work. Then you can go deeper in the process if you want or not.
When something doesn’t work, I can still do the same by taking pieces of it. Then those can be processed as well. In the past, some of my paintings that didn’t work for me as a whole had some parts that were interesting to me or did work, so I cut them up and kept some pieces of paintings — in some instances, they could even be framed and no one would be none the wiser.
Over the last few years, I’ve generated thousands of digital images from my traditional art and only a small percentage come to life and are taken a step or several steps further to become a new media work. The images take several forms and can go through many processes in GIMP or Illustrator or even the deep dream algorithm. They are all tools and there are often several variations on a theme and not all of them will resonate with me or pass the test.
“Normally” (whatever normal means these days) my artistic practice is founded on painting and drawing. Though I embrace technology painting and drawing have always been and most likely will always be the starting point of a new media artwork. I think having been alive during this transitory period is a gift.
If you want to know more about the processes or have questions get in touch.