Smith, Stuart                                         Ursyn, Anna                     
University of Massachusetts Lowell           University of Northern Colorado
stuart.smith3 @comcast.net                      aursyn@gmail.com; ursyn@unco.edu

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Titles:
6 abstract images, titled “Abstract n “
8 digital “paintings”, Languages, Go Forward, Emotions, Hurry Up, Layer, See You, Run, Attention.

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        The images in the two submitted collections were all made in the same way. Each one begins as either a hand-drawn sketch or a computer-generated symmetrical geometric figure having line, background, and fill colors. At this stage it is important only that the three colors be different. This initial image is then subjected to a variety of transformations, including breaking it up into parts that are then rearranged, changing the coordinate system,  and  distorting the image. Finally, the image is rendered in color. A choice of palette is made by the artist at the beginning of the process, as are the choice of initial image and the specific “program” of transformations to be applied to the image; however, the palette can be changed to any of dozens available without requiring an image to be recomputed from scratch. Since there is an element of uncertainty at each stage of the process, the exact features of the final image aren’t known in advance.

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Short Biography

        Stuart Smith is professor emeritus in the departments of Music and Computer Science at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. He was one of the founders of the University’s Computer Science Department and was also the author of the University’s signature Sound Recording Technology program. His digital art is partly an outgrowth of his research in scientific data visualization at the University’s Institute for Visualization and Perception Research. In addition to data visualization, he was also a pioneer in the use of sound for data display and was a founding member of the International Community for Auditory Display (ICAD). As professor of Music, he directed multimedia performance ensembles featuring improvised dance and music, light shows, electronic music, and real-time video art. Recently he has been composing music and producing videos and computer art in collaboration with artist Anna Ursyn, professor of Digital Media and Digital Media Area Head at the University of Northern Colorado.

       

         Anna Ursyn, PhD, is a professor and Computer Graphics > Digital Media Area Head at the University of Northern Colorado. She combines programming with software and printmaking media, to unify computer generated and painted images, and mixed-media sculptures. Ursyn had over 50 single juried and invitational art shows, participated in over 200 fine art exhibitions, including musea, such as over dozen times at the SIGGRAPH Art Galleries, and travelling shows, Louvre, Paris, NTT Museum in Tokyo (5000 texts and 2000 images representing 20th Century), and Virtual Media Network, (the largest moving image outdoor display in Dallas Texas). Research and pedagogy interests include integrated instruction in art, science, and computer art graphics. She published articles and artwork in books and journals. Since 1987 she serves as a Liaison, Organizing and Program Committee member of International IEEE Conferences on Information Visualization (iV) London, UK, and Computer Graphics, Imaging and Visualization Conferences (CGIV). She serves as Chair of the Symposium and Digital Art Gallery D-ART iV, 1983-now. Her two artworks were selected to be send to the Moon by NASA as a part of the MoonArc Project by Carnegie Mellon University and travelling shows including Centre Pompidou, Paris. Her was in ABADs and is in permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art MOMA in New York City, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, CA, and the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC Ursyn authored, co-wrote and edited 10 books.

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Artist’s Statement​

       This work is about dynamism beyond a static image as a part of batch image transformation process allowing for applying changes through playing with set of colors, transformations in respect to some boundaries the apps offer. 
A starting prompt goes through further scrutiny of the human eye in respect to a guiding algorthythm.