UpDate - Vol. 15, No. 8, Page TT-3
October 19, 1995
TechTalk
110 Taylor Hall

'I need to include graphics in my presentation. Where do I go?'

     Powerful computers were once the domain of researchers working
with large data sets or performing complex calculations. But now, some
of the most sophisticated computing equipment in the world is also
used to create artwork-allowing artists both to see their work in new
ways and to create new kinds of art.
     The University computing site located this year in 110 Taylor
Hall gives students and faculty an opportunity to begin their
exploration of these new possibilities in the visual arts. "We see art
students and faculty creating new images and scanning in images to
work with," Debra Jeffers, user services, said. "People come here to
work on presentations of all kinds: class projects, their own original
art and Web pages."
     Vera Kaminski, art, teaches students in her Art 270 class,
"Computer-Aided Design: Fibers," how to use the systems in the site to
experiment with different textures, patterns and adaptations of a
design. "In one project, we drew an image, then reproduced it on the
computer, then changed it into a more abstract form," junior Diana
Diubaldoa, a student in the class, said.
     "Rather than sketch in a texture by hand, we use the computer to
do it," sophomore Becky Sauer, another Art 270 student, added. "At
first, it's harder to work with the computer than to draw by hand, but
we can do more with the software-create more patterns and think more
about the project."
     "An artist often decides what works and what doesn't by
experimenting, even making mistakes," Kaminski said.
     Randy Bolton, art, said he not only uses the computers to teach
printmaking but also to generate "an electronic sketchbook,
appropriating images, manipulating them and then printing them,
generating tons of ideas very quickly." Bolton said his students take
to the computers very quickly. "In fact, I found that they wanted to
use images created with the computers, so it was an easy transition to
use the site to teach them about the screenprinting process,
especially the idea of building an image by printing existing layers
of transparent colors and doing color separations of existing images."
     Bolton said that the computer is "blurring the distinction
between some of the artistic disciplines, expanding the notion of what
art can be in very exciting ways."
     "Students use the equipment here as a development tool for works
in traditional media, but they also come here to create works and
presentations using the computer as a new medium," senior Patrick
Warner said.
     Anne Graham, art, who teaches Art 113, "Art Foundations: 3-D
Design," with Kaminski, said students also use the computers to help
prepare portfolios of their work. "Students can put together a
portfolio that combines different views of individual works with
commentary on those pieces, making for a more effective presentation
of their art."



Specialized hardware and software in 110 Taylor Hall

Color Printers:
     Tektronics Phaser II pxi
     Du Pont 4 CAST
     Canon BubbleJet

Scanners and Film Recorders:
     Hewlett Packard 32-bit Color Scanner
     Apple Greyscale Scanner
     Nikon Slide Scanner

     A wide variety of other specialized hardware and software, such
as a Laser Graphics Film Recorder, is available.

     For more detailed information about the Taylor Hall site, point
your Web browser at
          http://seurat.art.udel.edu/Site/Recitation.home.html

(Note: The site will be relocated back to Recitation Hall in fall 1996
after renovation of that building is completed.)