June '19: Paul Petersen

JUNE 2019: Featured Artist

Artist:
Paul Petersen

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Paul Petersen is a digital artist who is helping to pioneer a technique he calls "Spherical Art." He studied painting at UCLA with William Brice and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. He continued with postgraduate study at the Art Center College of Design. Paul has worked as an advertising art director, watercolorist and medical illustrator.

Paul’s technical proficiency in computer graphics has put him in a position to explore abstract geometric image creation. His works are created by constructing 3D polyhedrons and placing virtual cameras and lights inside them. He captures the patterns and colors that are inherent in the 3D geometry like a photographer. He also applies procedural textures to their surfaces that interact with those patterns. Unique, never-before-seen images are the result of his exploration and tweaking of these geometric spheres. He harnesses their internal mathematical order to create color harmonies and visual rhythms that are evocative and expressive. He's motivated by the discovery process and the subconscious choices he makes as he curates these visuals. How he chooses and frames the images he finds reveals his personal vision, much like a Rorschach test.

Last spring, Paul was featured in Doorway To Art, which included one of his works on the cover. He was also interviewed in Boston Voyager, and he exhibited in Brooklyn, NY in November 2018.

Paul creates pieces every day and lives in rural Pennsylvania with his wife and three Bouvier dogs. When he's not creating or walking dogs, he enjoys gardening, baking and distance running.

Paul's Process:

"Before I started creating art digitally, I was hampered by the lack of time needed to create art with traditional methods as well as the expense of art supplies. Digital art has freed me from those concerns. Now I create one or two finished artworks each day, and I still have time for other things. I don’t obsess about making mistakes or wasting precious art materials. I’m free to experiment, undo my moves, chase ideas around blind corners, and evolve.

I start by creating a polyhedral sphere in my 3D program. I put a camera and light inside it and look for an interesting image. I use different types of virtual camera lenses, such as perspective, orthographic or spherical. Sometimes I pinch, twist or turn these spheres inside out to find and capture unexpected scenes.

I get bored easily if my art always looks the same, so I constantly try different options. I have no preconceptions...I just find interesting patterns as I go. This “discovery” element keeps me excited about finding my next image. My choices and interpretations of these abstractions reveal my personal vision and essence.