The Creative Process: "Dust Thou Art"
My images are a combination of photographs, 3D modeling, and direct painting. I use Vue, Bryce, Photoshop, and Painter as creative tools. Here's how a typical piece is built:
Landscape and water were built in Bryce 7, figures created in Poser,
hand 'tree' in Poser, rendered and textured in Bryce. Photoshop composite.
hand 'tree' in Poser, rendered and textured in Bryce. Photoshop composite.
Here's a closer look at the Tree of Life model... this is the initial render
in Bryce, before any painting or texturing. I imported the various hands
as .obj files from Poser, then used those to create the tree in Bryce.
in Bryce, before any painting or texturing. I imported the various hands
as .obj files from Poser, then used those to create the tree in Bryce.
The background is then hand-painted using a pressure-sensitive tablet
using the Natural Oil brushes in Corel Painter.
using the Natural Oil brushes in Corel Painter.
Here, the piece is almost finished - I decided I didn't like the figures,
that they were too solid, and that what I wanted was for them to
be disintegrating into dust.
that they were too solid, and that what I wanted was for them to
be disintegrating into dust.
'DUST THOU ART': The final image - I re-rendered the Poser figures in Bryce
using a rock texture, then stripped away and re-painted the texture in Photoshop.
using a rock texture, then stripped away and re-painted the texture in Photoshop.
About the work
The majority of my work is inspired by the Bible, and chronicles my own spiritual journey as a seeker, doubter, and finally, a believer. It reflects my intellectual and personal journey to God. Sometimes, this is expressed in images of His beauty, glory, and power. Sometimes, the images wrestle with doubt, fear, and the despair of separation from God. I don't intend for these pieces to be illustrations of various scriptures; rather, I intend for them to explore the larger narrative - individual and collective - associated with them. I often use the body as a metaphor for both human agency and human weakness. The body is humanity's primary means of expressing both our creative and our destructive nature. Made in the image and likeness of God, we have an immense capacity for joy and love. Yet our mortality and frailty are the dark side, our fall from grace, which each person experiences individually.
About the artist
I am professor of graphic design and chair of the Institute of Art & Design at Robert Morris University in Chicago, IL. Like many artists, I began creating art early in life. I was fascinated by photography from about age 10, producing cut-and-paste photocomposite artworks beginning at the age of 11, when my parents bought me my first 35mm camera.
I studied digital imaging and 3D modeling/animation at Columbia College Chicago in the late 1980s, where I worked with the very first versions of Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator and Lightwave 3D. Returning to Columbia in 1994 for a master's degree in interdisciplinary arts, I decided to make digital imaging the focus of my artwork, while simultaneously pursuing a career in graphic design. I worked as a designer and art director in various corporate and agency environments in Chicago and San Diego for about ten years.
My first body of digital work won a worldwide contest sponsored by Adobe Systems, Inc. My work became part of the first "Digital Masters" art gallery included with every copy of Photoshop sold, was made part of Adobe's permanent collection, and was published in many popular books and magazines, including HOW, Communication Arts, Guideposts, Mac Art & Design, the Photoshop WOW Book, and many others. As a result of this exposure, my work was also licensed to commercial magazines, appeared on book covers, in galleries, and on album art.
I joined the faculty of Robert Morris University in 2001, the year after I married my husband, musician Tom Sharpe, who is the drummer for Mannheim Steamroller and Dennis DeYoung (Styx). Soon afterwards, I entered a doctoral program at Roosevelt University in Chicago. A full-time teaching career, chair responsibilities, doctoral studies, and raising my daughter Cadence took precedence in my life for the next decade. After completing my doctoral dissertation, I returned to my roots in 3D modeling and digital imaging, working with Vue, Bryce, Poser, Photoshop, and Corel Painter to produce my latest images.
I live in Oswego, Illinois, where my family and I attend Oswego Family Church. My other passion in life is running. My goal is to win my age group every year and to race on my 100th birthday!
I studied digital imaging and 3D modeling/animation at Columbia College Chicago in the late 1980s, where I worked with the very first versions of Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator and Lightwave 3D. Returning to Columbia in 1994 for a master's degree in interdisciplinary arts, I decided to make digital imaging the focus of my artwork, while simultaneously pursuing a career in graphic design. I worked as a designer and art director in various corporate and agency environments in Chicago and San Diego for about ten years.
My first body of digital work won a worldwide contest sponsored by Adobe Systems, Inc. My work became part of the first "Digital Masters" art gallery included with every copy of Photoshop sold, was made part of Adobe's permanent collection, and was published in many popular books and magazines, including HOW, Communication Arts, Guideposts, Mac Art & Design, the Photoshop WOW Book, and many others. As a result of this exposure, my work was also licensed to commercial magazines, appeared on book covers, in galleries, and on album art.
I joined the faculty of Robert Morris University in 2001, the year after I married my husband, musician Tom Sharpe, who is the drummer for Mannheim Steamroller and Dennis DeYoung (Styx). Soon afterwards, I entered a doctoral program at Roosevelt University in Chicago. A full-time teaching career, chair responsibilities, doctoral studies, and raising my daughter Cadence took precedence in my life for the next decade. After completing my doctoral dissertation, I returned to my roots in 3D modeling and digital imaging, working with Vue, Bryce, Poser, Photoshop, and Corel Painter to produce my latest images.
I live in Oswego, Illinois, where my family and I attend Oswego Family Church. My other passion in life is running. My goal is to win my age group every year and to race on my 100th birthday!
