Studio Artist user John Anderson just recently completed a project using Studio Artist for an international corporate headquarters art installation located in Charleston, South Carolina. The finished prints are 65.7″ x 48″, and are printed on aluminum as opposed to paper or canvas.
I’ve noticed a trend recently with artists choosing to print directly on aluminum surfaces due to the unique visual qualities printing on aluminum surfaces can achieve. John had the following to say about his recent Studio Artist generated project.
“The nice thing about the aluminum is that it gives a three dimensional effect, and is very vibrant. I’ve not seen any paper–including the metallic–that comes anywhere close to the vibrancy of the prints. I’m not totally familiar with the process, as I have not yet been able to visit the lab. The results though are rather stunning.”
“One of the challenges of working with the metal images is that the aluminum only comes in 48″ width, so height had to be limited. Since standard photographic images aren’t in formats that will come out to 72″ x 48″, or 96″ x 48″ when enlarged, my images turned out to be around 65.5″ x 48″. Another problem is that the reflective surface of the aluminum glossy presents very extreme lighting challenges. For this reason, I decided to go with a brushed aluminum that is not glossy for these. The images have a secure hanging system–a lock system where one piece fits on the wall and attaches to one on the frame–this holds secure and also prevents movement of the prints.”
“My images are created using any standard photo. I try to use filters that don’t reproduce the representational image–but tear it apart into individual pixels of color and texture. That way I can create abstractions that bear no resemblance to the original photograph. I very seldom retain any element of the forms in the original photographs. This is what excites me most about Studio Artist–it’s like using the colors in a photo as a pallet. The computer screen literally becomes a canvas. With Studio Artist I don’t feel like I’m manipulating a photograph, I feel like I’m creating a whole new piece of art. In a manner of speaking, I’m able to blur the lines between painting and photography.”
