Digital Art first came about in the 1970’s but it took until the end of the 20th century to become a viable art form. Today, with the widespread availability of digital cameras, software, many sophisticated tools, equipment, and applications it’s bigger than ever. Artists are tapping into this treasure trove and are letting their imaginations soar. As a curator of online art exhibitions, I receive an increase of digital-related art entries with each show I organize. It’s fascinating to observe the multi-faceted creative evolution of digital art and I suspect artists have just scratched the surface of its potential.
I enjoy reading how artists in this field explain their process. Below you’ll find some examples of computer-related art by talented artists I know Chalda Maloff, Sandra Belitza-Vazquez, Roslyn Rose, Michael Amrose and Romeo Varga.
Chalda Maloff creates life-affirming, nature-inspired artwork enriched with arresting luminosity and spatial depth. She conveys a profound understanding of our multi-faceted relationship with co-existing life forces and their empowering energies as they impact human experience and emotions.
She has an extensive range of skills in digital art and employs the creative elements of techspressionism. She combies freehand tablet drawing, digital effects and filters and occasionally she incorporates a scan of one of her drawings. Her artistic vocabulary encompasses breathtaking backlighting and a delightful panoply of soothing colors. An animated medley resounds as she orchestrates bold organic forms, variegated marks, and clusters of circular patterns.
An Art Review about her art appears on The Healing Power of ART & ARTISTS website which you can read here.
Chalda states, “I choose the digital medium for its power to combine and synthesize various artistic effects, producing a host of visuals that would not be possible with any natural medium. Beyond this, the extraordinary options of art software allow for a superior inventive flow in the development of an image.”
Sandra Belitza-Vazquez is a multiple award-winning internationally recognized artist. She shares the beauty she discovers in the world in breathtaking photographic images. Her art is characterized by vibrant color and dramatic compositions that immediately capture our attention and hold our interest. She is equally proficient in creating traditional photographs as well as her new and exciting scanner photography presented here.
In November 2020 Sandra decided to embark upon this new direction. She explains, “With this medium of photography, I have found a way to extend my curiosity and artistic sensitivity by creating new worlds of expression to obtain creations full of life and beauty that began in my mind’s eye and invite exploration by the viewer. Rather than waiting for the perfect light, or the decisive moment of action, or searching for a particular composition that adequately expresses my reaction to a scene, I create the scene.”
She describes her scanner photography series as “My modern take on the Old Dutch Master style”.
Roslyn Rose (roslynrose.com) has an extensive background in traditional printmaking and currently excels in what she refers to as ‘Digital Printmaking’. She explains that she uses a contemporary ‘virtual darkroom‘ to create her compelling works of art that integrate fleeting images from life and imagination.
The artist explains, “I photograph and collect pictures of interiors and exteriors. The original pictures used for my digital collages include slides, photographs, and found pictures. When exposing the space beyond to reveal new images, I am combing reality with unreality, yet proving the validity of the merger. I invent a fantasy context for each scenario suggesting myths, the past, or the future. My camera and my computer are mediums that I use to combine and manipulate the images, producing montages that speak to the spectator. Viewers are invited to blend their own imagination with the illusions I present.”
Michael Amrose (amroseartphotography.com) creates luminous and ethereal abstract photographs. His dynamic style is characterized by significant open space, an expressive use of color, and his ability to transform his subjects into new, emotive and thought-provoking images. He states, “Color, form, shape, and line become my subject speaking to the viewer with a new, independent voice.”
His study of the great photographers of the past and his affiliation with three institutions have shaped his passion for photography. The fantastic artists and people associated with CEPA Gallery, a center for artistic innovation, CPSI (Creative Problem Solving Institute), and SUNY@Buffalo’s Center for Media Studies influenced and touched his life, leaving an indelible mark on him both as a person and as an artist/photographer.
He credits CEPA Gallery as being highly influential in developing his photography fundamentals and techniques and his understanding and appreciation of photographic aesthetics and experimental and contemporary photography. For the first time, he “saw” the photograph as art, photography as an art form.
Romeo Varga (rvdesigns.com.au) is a European-Australian artist who has created an awe-inspiring series titled “The Mystics of Montenegro”. In this oeuvre of classic feminine beauty, he portrays beguiling muses, angels, and sea goddesses in enchanting mythological vistas. Imbued with the spirit of idealized romanticism his symbolic allegorical paintings recall an innocent, simpler bygone era of human existence which he infuses with his unique contemporary narrative.
Having created art since childhood Romeo’s current choice is digital media which he applies with the same professional precision as traditional mediums used by Old Masters. His skillful compositions are created stroke by stroke, layer upon layer, with modern technology. He explains, “My process always begins with immersion in the physical setting to connect with the energy of the space.”
He adds, “Through my Montenegro-inspired paintings, I provide a passageway for those in their own concrete jungles, to reconnect with their natural serenity, and have the space to breathe and dream again.”
Thank you for this article, Renee. What a present you gave me for the holidays!
I loved reading about the work of Romeo Varga and Roslyn Rose. I learned a lot. 😊
You’re welcome Sandra. This article was published in 2022 and is still a gem to share with your extraordinary work of art.