As an undergraduate art student, I was drawn to the print studio, often using simple algorithms to produce abstract images, some of which are shown here. Realizing that computer programming would allow me to more systematically generate, modify and explore deeper levels of complexity in algorithmic imagery, I added a computer science degree to my art studies. For graduate work, I joined Ohio State University's Computer Graphics Research Group, a pioneer in interdisciplinary art/computer graphics research and development. My studies culminated in an award winning animation entitled Eurhythmy, for which I applied my research in flocking algorithms to animate large flocks of birds.
After teaching computer animation in the Netherlands, I returned to the United States to start a company, Unreal Pictures, with my partner, Michael Girard. We created an early virtual reality piece called Menagerie, featuring herds of running animals, flocks of birds, and swarms of insects which interactively respond to the viewer. It was shown at the Pompidou in Paris. We partnered with Autodesk, Inc. to develop two pieces of software, Biped and Populate. Biped is a system for animating bipedal figures. Populate is a crowd animation system with an innovative user interface for quickly generating groups of people walking, sitting, and standing.
Although writing commercial software is fascinating and challenging, I recently left Autodesk in order to return to my original pursuit of making images. I gravitate yet again towards abstract algorithmic art and prints, this time utilizing professional 3D computer rendering software guided by my own coded algorithms, the results of which are presented here.
Early Work (1979-81): Lithography & Intaglio