The computer graphics image "18 G 90" by Mark Wilson was created in collage technique. Artistic creativity and technical realization hold the balance.

My drawings and paintings are made in a two part process. First, images are generated on the screen of a microcomputer using a variety computer programs. Some of these programs employ simple random procedures, others utilize permutations of graphic elements such as cellular automations.

Next, a rectangular section of the image is plotted, pixel by pixel. The pixels can be drawn as circles, filled boxes, crosses, and so forth. They can be large or small, and can be mapped onto various geometric surfaces, such as planes, cylinders, and cones, Finally, these surfaces are projected into perspective space. I have written all the software.

The images are plotted with a venerable computer graphic device, a pen plotter. The plots are on paper, or directly on canvas, or, in this case, on mylar. The pen plotter draws hundreds of thousands of lines in a matter of hours to create the finished artwork. The physical scale of artworks can be large - 90 x 240 cm in these examples. These working procedures offer much greater versatility and freedom from the traditionally small photographically-based computer graphic formats.

The overall picture-making process is reminiscent of collage. Elements are selected and placed on the surface. Compositional decisions are made step by step. Thus, the final appearance of the image is not predetermined by the machinery, but by artistic judgment.

It would be impossible to realize my works using any other medium. I have attempted to directly use the digital nature of this medium. Rather than trying to disguise pixels, they have become the central element of my art making.Technology underlies all of my working procedures, but the ultimate goal is as imple one: to delight and intrigue the eye of the viewer with images that can be seen only with the aid of a computer.


Technical Background

HW: IBM PS / 2, IBM 7375 Plotter
SW: By the artist