MAGNET MURAL #3

6' X 12' tiled injet print on magnets

Growing up my surroundings were haunted by apparitions. I was endlessly startled by faces and figures appearing in everything from apple cores to mountain tops. My Grandma, a pagan witch, explained to me that everything was alive, just like me. She convinced me that the world was densely populated with all kinds of spirits and I was one of the lucky few who paid attention too them. To this day, l regard my images as living structures which live and breed (if nowhere else) in my mind, heart, and soul. On one level, my work is most available to audiences whos sight perception tends toward anthropomorphism. In other words, people who see faces in the clouds. I prefer to describe it as being receptive to subtle impressions, intuitions and insights (or simply noticing what others usually miss). On another level, I like to believe my work operates beyond our senses and provides a channel for deeper energies that come from mysterious places that we dont know much about like our unconscious mind, our souls, the cosmos and beyond. On this level, my work is accessible to everyone who is open to the experience. The first time I ever considered the possibility of making art with computers I was listening to a radio interview with Timothy Leary. He was discussing his work in virtual reality. He said that in the future anybody could pull a pallet out of the sky and effortlessly create their own world shaped by limitless possibilities. The only limitation would be how far we could stretch our imagination. It would be so easy that anybody could do it but most people would not. According to Leary, the possibilities would be infinite but the story would be the same. A few artists would create and billions of others would consume their creations. Computers have allowed me artistic freedom I once thought impossible. They have offered me a taste of unlimited experimentation while still being fast and cheap. I push a button and see what happens. Do it again, try another move, push another button, experiment with a few positions, and every once in awhile... magic. Everything comes together. Most of the time, though, there is no magic and I just dump it all in the trash. Very few traditional mediums have that freedom. Its too expensive. With a computer, I can completely change direction in an instant. I can change the look, colors, or style I started with without changing the composition and them go back again. Instant gratification and it doesnt cost a dime. It used to be said that a mans home was his castle. With todays technology anybodys home can be their own personal museum or gallery. There are many out there who do not consider us (digital artists) artists because of the ease and push button nature of it all. Perhaps we are con artists? If this is true, I am not ashamed. For better or worse, computers and technology have impacted our minds, spirits and creativity. This impact is fierce and cannot be ignored. The limits of creative expression through computers and technology must be explored and will be explored... even if it takes fools, cheats, freaks and con artists to do it. It wont be the first frontier conquered by the likes of us.

lutherrichert@graffiti.net