Live the Dream
by Jeff Iverson
Dear Jeff,
How do you pick the titles of your works, for example ''Opposite Words''?
Very often my titles are inspired by something I read that day, or some song lyric or title that got wedged into my brain, in other cases I take a more esoteric approach and browse random articles on Wikipedia until a word or phrase catches my attention, relying on the concept of synchronicity to join the title, the art, and the viewer together into a meaningful whole. I like to find words and phrases that challenge the observer into contemplation, whether in reference to the piece or their own life, and push the boundaries of understanding into new territory.
Does "Being Beastly" refer to a certain character or event?
Yes, it has a deeply personal meaning but it can also be seen more generally, without knowing the personal details, as applying broadly to how we treat loved ones or family members from time to time, in moments of great stress, which could, in that moment, be seen as awful, beastly, behavior, but is really (hopefully) just a reflection of our emotional inability to deal with the stress or anxiety of the moment.
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What inspired "Blue Albania"?
In this case I was struck by the visual similarity to the Blue Eye Water Spring in southern Albania.
What is your routine? When do you do most of your work?
My work, at this time, consists mostly of digital images. I have a few programs that I use to generate the raw materials (Apophysis, JWildfire, Chaotica) and usually have an image rendering (a process that can take dozens of hours for a single image) at all times. I select from these raw images and bring them into either Gimp or Photoshop and begin the process of manipulation or transformation to work on the color, depth, and texture of the images. I try to capture a mood or a feeling, an emotion that is difficult to express, and bring it to life. I do some of my most creative work in the early evenings.
In this case I was struck by the visual similarity to the Blue Eye Water Spring in southern Albania.
What is your routine? When do you do most of your work?
My work, at this time, consists mostly of digital images. I have a few programs that I use to generate the raw materials (Apophysis, JWildfire, Chaotica) and usually have an image rendering (a process that can take dozens of hours for a single image) at all times. I select from these raw images and bring them into either Gimp or Photoshop and begin the process of manipulation or transformation to work on the color, depth, and texture of the images. I try to capture a mood or a feeling, an emotion that is difficult to express, and bring it to life. I do some of my most creative work in the early evenings.
Photo: courtesy of the artist |
My work is a synthesis of the intricate, chaotic, and unpredictable. I work primarily in digital media, focusing on colorful abstracts, complex fractal manipulations, and digital photography, with brief incursions into traditional media such as acrylic on various supports. I work with shapes, colors and textures in an attempt to reach something greater than the sum of those parts.
Most of my work is non-objective pure abstract and I delve into the world of the expressionist, minimalist, and pure color field. Some of my work is meant to be playful, colorful, and childlike. I explore relationships between organic forms, crisp edges, and vivid colors. |
I see the world as a struggle between the 'thinking' and 'feeling' parts of the mind, each becoming more or less dominant over time, and I endeavor to appeal to both in my work. I touch on themes such as the mystical, mundane, esoteric, vulgar, and philosophical.
I was born in Waterloo, Iowa and grew up in surrounding communities. I studied Art at the University of Northern Iowa, in Cedar Falls. Much of the past 45 years have been spent living and working in the upper Midwest of the United States including Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Illinois where I currently reside in Springfield.
I was born in Waterloo, Iowa and grew up in surrounding communities. I studied Art at the University of Northern Iowa, in Cedar Falls. Much of the past 45 years have been spent living and working in the upper Midwest of the United States including Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Illinois where I currently reside in Springfield.