As an artist, I do four things; Oils on Canvas (Social Commentary), Drawings of National Parks, Photography of Birds and California Native Plants and 2D/3D Digital.
Since most here will be interest in digital work, I'll talk about that. I started in the digital world with a TI-99/4a computer in the early 1980's and immediately started creating art and animation with a very limited graphic range in hexadecimal code (16 colors, 256 shapes). I eventually became a published artist for Asgard Software and a year later when out on my own to form “Notung Software” which became on of the most popular TI Software companies. In 2010, I was inducted in the TI-99/4a Hall of Fame.
After making my switch to the PC, I started with Sketcher (the precursor to Painter) and even owned Fractal Design's "Poser 1". I didn't start seriously playing with Poser until Version 3 came around. With the advent of Poser 4, I began by creating textures and started a career as a digital artist, selling my work through Zygote, Vista, DAZ3D, Hivewire3D and Renderosity.
I really didn’t find my nitch in the 3D world until I partnered with BL Render to do the Songbird ReMix Series in 2003. The following year, I came into my own blending my love and knowledge of birds with a strong environmental theme "Threatened, Endangered, Extinct". That set, designed specifically to raise awareness about threatened species and why they're going extinct, became a template for all my work.
Since then I’ve steadily worked on improving my skills with Painter and Modo, and of course, producing more 3D birds and other flora and fauna with a strong environmental message. Today, the Songbird Remix birds have appeared in films such as ”I am Legend”, in Audubon literature and advertising, Duncraft (bird product & seed) advertising, in the museum presentations (such as the National Wildlife Research Center of Saudi Arabia) and even billboards and bus benches for the Omaha Reads promotions.
Besides being a Renderosity Vendor, I work at home as a freelance artist/photographer and also volunteer/lecture at the Theodore Payne Foundation (a Foundation that focuses a native plant awareness) and at Audubon California.
Comments (4)
Flint_Hawk
The realism in this scene is awesome!
starship64 Online Now!
This is lovely work.
mifdesign
Magnificent composition, amazing realistic environment and lighting, characters perfectly fits the scene, the scattered light, the realism is fantastic, it's hard to tell if it's a 3D scene or just a capture from a Discovery documentary.
Brilliant awesome render, Magnificent Masterpiece of finest Arts. I love it!
richardandtracy Online Now!
Lovely, realistic, picture. I have a possible suggestion for the 'Orange' being called 'Red'. Until the regular import of Oranges into the UK, all pink-red-orange colours were called 'red', as there was simply no other English word to differentiate the colour with yellow in it. It's why the European Robin with it's more frequently orange chest is called 'Robin Red Breast' as opposed to 'Robin Orange Breast'. The first recorded use of 'Orange' as a colour descriptor in English was apparently by Queen Margret Tudor (wife of James 4th of Scotland, - original comment incorrectly said Mary Tudor who was later) in 1502, and it's unlikely to have been widespread usage before migrants went to N America in the 1600's and came across the Salamander. Well, it's a plausible theory, don't think I could prove it either way.