Intersections - Nguyen Dang Binh

Alexdrina Chong
Axiomatic Wisdom
32 inches x 57 inches
Photoshop with Wacom tablet, inkjet print
ARTIST STATEMENT
As a graphic designer, I work with themes and concepts. There’s
always a struggle between the balance of clarity and personal expression.
However, when I draw, the best of me arrives when
I manage to simply detach from this balance. As all my “artistic”
training becomes inert, the iridescent chaos of the mind lights up
the space for a quiescent dialogue between the subject (my drawing)
and me. When working with other media, technical issues, quite
often interrupt the flow of my expression. Trials and failures eventually
discourage the process and distance me from the impetus to create.
Surprisingly, this obstacle is removed when I work primarily with
digital media, especially when I draw with a digital apparatus such
as a Wacom tablet.
Even though most of my works are non-representational in nature,
within the drawings one can find words and other indications of
the sources that have indirectly influenced the process of creation.
Axiomatic Wisdom is a piece that was done while I was having a
conversation online with a friend from Russia and listening to a live
report on the disappointing 2004 election results. Our conversation
revolved around the topic of unilateral and axiomatic thinking in
Electronic Art and Animation Catalog Art Gallery Artworks
CONTACT
Alexdrina Chong
Bowling Green State University
1000 Fine Arts
Bowling Green, Ohio 43403-0204 USA
alexdrina@alexdrina.com
www.alexdrina.com
American society. However, there were other levels of the story going
on in my mind, overlapping with the conversation and subconsciously
illustrated in the composition.
I believe my work introduces a different dimension to both digital artists
and artists in “traditional” media simply because the expression
manages to transcend the medium. A lot of digital artists are very
medium-driven. My works simply illustrate the dialogue between
the subject matter and myself.
TECHNICAl STATEMENT
This piece was created in Photoshop using a Wacom tablet (Graphire).
The intention was to create an image that has an ink-drawing or
etched look. Photoshop has numerous applications that allow the
artist to create effects needed for this approach. One can create different
brushes and textures to achieve certain effects. Having control
over the sizes of the brushes is a great advantage for the artist. It
supports experimentation with different single-brush textures and
strokes. The layering application, on the other hand, allows the artist
to play with layering imagery (textures, typography, etc) to create an
ink smearing and running effect.