“What drives an individual to want to be a computer artist?” This is a difficult question to answer…
…unless you realize that combining the love of a field with the skill to be able to perform in it is something not everyone gets to experience… When I was younger, I wanted to be a professional hockey player. Love of the sport was not enough to carry me into the NHL. I have come to realize that being a computer artist is in my DNA, and having the skills to use the computer gives me infinite possibilities to create “the perfect picture”. Computer art has opened up broad new horizons, enabling me to push previous constraints and boundaries into a new and sometimes surreal realm.
When I first started drawing in high school, I was limited to just the pencils, markers, and paint. Adding the computer has offered this artist access to hundreds of pencils, markers, designs, colors, textures and shapes with which to work. What I do with this added artistic inventory and how I intertwine them makes computer art one of the most interesting fields to be working in today. Throughout my years at SVA, I found many different ways to create images that I wouldn’t have been able to conceptualize or ultimately produce without the computer.
How does one find his niche, his field of dreams? So often, we are influenced by those who have come before us. In some cases, outsiders such as teachers act as mentors, offering hands-on expertise which one can use as a guide. In other instances, a family member could be that inspiration. The biggest single influence in my life was (and is) my late brother, Scott… Although he passed away eleven years ago, Scott continues to sit on my shoulder, guiding and inspiring me. That includes my life as an artist. In fact, I really don’t think I would have been drawn to drawing if Scott didn’t pass away. As a child I always wanted to draw but frankly wasn’t good at it.. I would often ask for my brother’s help, “Scott, could you draw this for me?” He was an incredible artist with bundles of natural talent. Scott could draw anything that came into his head. I only wish I had also been born with that innate ability. His death was a terrible blow in so many ways, not the least of which was the loss of having him draw for me... I decided to practice earnestly for the entire summer before I started high school. With practice came success… Throughout high school I won several awards in art including one that meant more than any other prize possibly could have; the Scott Benanti Memorial Award for top artist in the school. That award was not given due to “nepotism.” I received it, because I earned it and would not have accepted it any other way. Scott continues to drive and inspire me to not only be a computer artist but also an artist in general.
At this point, with continuing developments in the graphic arts field and my own ascension as an artist, the future is like a book. I am still in the early chapters, but I am looking forward to turning the pages and seeing what lies ahead…