PIXEL STUDIES

2012-2019

I bought my first Apple Macintosh computer in 1986. It was the dawn of the desktop publishing era and, even then, the technology could produce smooth fonts and stunning graphics. However, in terms of digital art, the pixel still had a way of making itself predominate. Over time, more powerful processors, greater memory and storage capabilities, and developing software made the pixel inconspicuous. Computer art became more and more refined, rivaling the finest photography. But there were always errors. Something would inevitably go wrong. I was attracted to the printing mistakes, fascinated by the screen distortions and the re-emergence of the pixels. Pixels had been relegated to the invisible molecular structure of computer art—why not expose them again? I began to use them as a design element in their own right. I let them function as a glob of paint or a bold brush stroke. I created textures and patterns with them. I made them an overt part of the imagery. I started respecting the pixel.