An Interview with a Digital Pioneer and Accomplished Artist, ANSGARD THOMSON

MOCA: Your website talks about your early art influences in Germany and the impact of war on your appreciation for art. What inspires you today?
In the early 1990's I was still painting in watercolors , acrylics and oils ,when I saw a child playing around with a computerized windows paint program. This inspired me to get a computer and to find out about creating art digitally. Acquiring a computer afforded me many possibilities to use my creativity with the tools that only exist in graphics and painting programs.

MOCA: Can you tell us about your latest series of digital images and what you are trying to achieve with them?
At the moment I am using Apophysis 2.02 with seed images that I will change in either Photoshop or Painter to my liking. I might, or might not, save some in high resolution for later printing. I always also continue to paint directly.

This fractal image was used to create...

"Cyber Angel"and another...

Which led to this image created in Painter...
.

"Free Flow" was created in Painter with drawn shapes first. The image was then manipulated in Quick Wrap and Wrap to create the free flowing impression as a composition and design image.

My goal is to prove that original digital fine art can be done with software tools not used in any other media. My goal is also to be accepted by my [artist] peers.

MOCA: Tell us about your process. How do you approach your work?
My approach to creating art is spontaneous and intuitive to start with. Or it can be inspired by a visual impression that I feel like painting. My intent is always to create something that exists only because I created it. I select the right process, moves [and effects] towards a final unique image. I do not use a scanner.

I can create an oil brush in Painter and paint a still life I have set-up and have it printed on canvas and dabble on some brush strokes just to prove I can paint the traditional way using the computer. Might make sense for some artists. Using processes defines the "digital fine artists.”

MOCA: You like to experiment with styles and software. Can you tell us more about that?
It does not make sense to me to approach Digital Fine Arts only from what one has learned as a traditional painter. Generating images in different software programs have different results. I might use a variety of filters and techniques that work best for a final image or perhaps for different versions of the same image. One can only find out by experimenting as much as possible.

MOCA: Is the process just as important as the outcome?
Yes. For example see images on my website at: Ansgard Thomson
The first image is a digital painting done in Painter from a photograph. The second is a curved manipulation of the same photograph in Photoshop . The last one is a manipulation in Painter with a Woodblock filter. A favorite effect of mine to use on portraits.

Another example are these images that were done from a very small black and white old photograph of Marlene Dietrich using different effects.

MOCA: Do you have a favorite or preferred body of work? If so, why?
I still like the images from my Millennium Show. They are special to me. I entered the Internet in 1998 and was invited to join R2001 (Renaissance 2001 art group created by a Japanese artist) and met "Pygoya" from Last Place and he invited me to create a millennium show that still can be found today in his web museum . Being part of the digital revolution at its first stage was a very special feeling especially living out on a ranch in Alberta Canada.

The “Millennium Artist” was created with a fractint fractal layered over my drawing of an artist working at a computer screen instead of working on an easel (free hand drawing of a man with a beard) instead of working on an easel.
"Millenium 2"

I also like what I did in this image where I created multiple impressions.

"Millenium Babies"

[See more of Ansgard's Millenium Exhibition at:Millenium]

In this work “Cloning of New Life,” I repeated the original image for effect and won the NASA Award for my art.

Series are showing a number of images that are usually related to a theme, started with one image in a very special style . The objective might be to show the same special effect on different images or to create a style being recognized as my own. Creating a series that started out with one image, then onto the next where I only change colors, ultimately shown together as a set, works for me as well.

MOCA: Many of your pieces are created using bright colors. Can you tell us more about this choice?
I have always considered myself a colorist. I am not afraid to use primary colors mainly in abstract compositions. Color inspires me the most.

MOCA: What do you do to motivate yourself?
Ha ,ha! I wish to know why I do not stop creating art?!

Some of my titles might reveal my mind. I listen often to music and also classical electronic music by Warren Furmanworking on images. Music can influence the movement of my pen and stimulate my imagination and influences my mood .

The New Mexico den was a virtual website created by a university research department curious about the artists on the Internet .We had to fill out a profile and they accepted some of my images . I have not participated in any digital art workshops. They just try to sell you something you may not want to use.

MOCA: What other interests do you have (outside of creating art)?
Philosophy, current and historical events in perspective of our time . Dealing with old age and staying in touch with family and close friends . Listening to music mostly classical and watching documentaries and movies on TV.

MOCA: How have you handled the business side of being an artist?
Selling digital prints has been challenging and sales on the Internet almost nil. According to my resume, I have made great effort to show my prints locally and by invitation on the Internet . Promotional invitations for publications in Art Books from all over the globe are too costly to be considered .

MOCA: Selling digital art is certainly a challenge. Do you think that by explaining your artistic process to the buyer/collector it would improve the marketability of digital art? In other words, do we need to share more about what we do, and how we do it, to educate the world?
I am not sure if education will make any difference. Why should we tell how we made an image ,no one else was ever asked how they painted. People buy art either for prestige to collect it from a certain popular artist recommended by a dealer or they truly like it . We have to be able to get into the collectors market by keeping edition to very low numbers or find custodians who will save digital art prints from the pioneers in digital art . MOCA should communicate with dealers to find out why they reject digital artists in their galleries and should not advertise any gallery that does not sell digital art like the one from Edmonton (Kamera).

MOCA: What advice would you give to an artist just starting out?
Be yourself and do not forget that all must be learned. It sounds easier than it is.

Thank you Ansgard for agreeing to talk with us. Congratulations on a fine collection of digital artwork -- we greatly appreciate your pioneering spirit!

See more of Ansgard's fine art and her exhibition resume/ bio at:
Ansgard Thomson

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