It is an attractive idea to con- sider that our new and powerful com- puters will make artists of us all. That, of course, is not necessarily the case, but the fantastic capabili- ties the computer puts at our finger- tips can certainly bring out the artist in each of us. With today's graphics software, owners of personal computers are finding it surprisingly easy to produce great-looking graphics considered beyond the reach of machines costing $100,000 only three or four years ago! Of course, deep inside we know that the machine has done a lot of the work by responding exceedingly well to our creative input, but this small bit of humility need not dampen our feeling of accom- plishment at having "tamed" the wild beasts we once thought our computers to be. Every accomplished computer graph- ics artist I have ever met has had to confront the same challenges we will face in harnessing our smaller personal computers: the need to put the true responsibility for the cre- ation of art into the artist's hands and not with the computer's software. Almost unanimously, computer graphics artists report having consciously to resist the temptation to "let the machine create." In many cases, we can now create on the computer, in a matter of minutes, work which would take hours or even days in more traditional media. The question, of course, is: is the work really good? Does it really express, in the art- ist's OWN vision, an idea or feeling the artist intended to communicate? I guess there are hundreds of good definitions of "art," and even my own definition changes depending on what is being discussed. But I think that "conscious control" of the media is a true sign of the craftsperson found inside each artist. In the past, we could look at the educational background of an artist to help us decide whether or not he was "serious." Or we could look at who his contemporaries, collaborators or mentors were. In computer graphics, that is seldom the case. Computer graphics is still rela- tively new, and few schools offer more than a token class on the subject, if any at all. There are also few practicing computer graphics artists today outside large computer or media production companies. Almost none of them can be said to be making a living as an artist in the medium. There are few artists who have had the benefit of a lifetime of experience to pass on to new generations of artists. So, in this rather unique environ- ment, a few questions become difficult to answer. What does it take to be a "serious" computer artist? How can you improve your skills? What kind of background is good preparation for becoming a computer artist? Perhaps fortunately, there are no simple answers. The field is still wide open. More often than not artists come from a wide variety of disciplines. The medium attracts scientists, playwrights, musicians, poets, engineers, filmmakers and many people from other non-traditional backgrounds - as well as the expected visual artists - into its ranks. This constant introduction of new ideas seems to intensify the experience of those who work in the medium and also helps to keep "style" in a constant state of change. And that's great. Artists who approach computer graphics as "a new paintbrush" often find that getting used to keyboards, mouses and menus gets in the way of true creativity for awhile. On the other hand, an artist may find techniques and skills learned in other media can be easily adaptable to computers. In the months ahead we'll take a playful approach to the subject of creativity with computers. We'll examine how a computer "sees" an image and how WE need to see an image in order to translate it, through our art, into computer art. We'll begin next time with a look at major compositional elements in art and how they can serve as starting points for understanding computer graphics tools. In the meantime, keep your work coming in. Remember that the best of what we receive will be published in "New Paints for Old" in return for fair compensation. The artwork submitted for this issue was created by Gail Conley of Dallas and Woody Pope of Richardson, Texas, and was created on an Amiga computer using Deluxe Paint II. Woody is a computer programmer for a major software developer and Gail is a business management consultant. We were particularly impressed with the work of both artists because of their development of personal techniques based on Deluxe Paint II capabilities. (KEN LOSS-CUTLER creates animated sequences for corporate and broadcast clients and teaches a college course on computer graphics.)
