(place acknowledgements here)
Thanks to
• Dr. Rainer Glaser, organizer of "Science Education: Vital Connection of
Science to the Public Sphere”, for the invitation and support. Also the
other members of the organizing committee.
• BCCE for the opportunity to participate and support.
• Editors and staff at HYLE, more about them later.
Who is this person and
why is he here?
Who is he?
Lane Last
Associate Professor of Art
University of Tennessee at Martin
1991 M.F.A., University of Wisconsin - Madison
Visual Arts- emphasis Painting and New Media
Why am I here?
• Speak a little about my artwork and its’ development that
has had some scientific themes, topics, or undercurrents for
the past 16 years.
• Promote interdisciplinary collaboration between scientists
and artists as a model for image production.
• Discuss some advantages, hurdles, relevant issues, and
tips for working cooperatively to develop more engaging
and possibly accurate scientific imaging for text
and media resources that could positively engage
younger audiences with science through art.
• Suggest a few resources to find artists/collaborators.
Why am I here? (Part 2 - Real World Anecdotes)
• Requests from HS teachers to use imagery in lectures.
• Campus discussions with Engineering and the Science
Education areas to create new recruitment and visual media
with greater appeal to younger audiences.
Both K-8 and High School programming.
• Responses to a personal website called Science and Beauty,
now off-line, from parents looking to find resources to help their
children with science course work.
This often resulted in discussions about student learning styles.
Why am I here? (Part 3)
Important Disclaimers:
1. There are an incredible number of talented artists who are truly
interested in the general topics and related specialties of the physical
and theoretical sciences. I would count amongst those the talented
and numerous scientific illustrators, visualization specialists, and
cartoonists who communicate with very different audiences.
All of us work differently, with alternate skill sets, backgrounds,
and preferences. There may be some in the audience here today.
I can’t speak for all of us, but rather today I will try to share my
perspective as a traditionally trained fine artist with some ties and.
a great deal of interest in this subject.
2. I really enjoy and try to stay involved with what is going on in science,
but I am not claiming to be an expert in any way. Hence the need to find
collaborators to take this work beyond the purview of the fine arts.
How does an artist choose a
subject matter?
or
Why did I end up down this
aesthetic road?
My personal graduate school experience
in the visual arts was a combination
laboratory and monastery.
• Students were exposed to the prerequisite theory, criticism,
and other canonical literature.
• Shown the facilities and a few helpful techniques.
• Then left alone in our studios to discover our artistic voices.
After experimenting with a variety of new media, insightful faculty,
and many stylistic genres, I returned to subject matter and topics I
was interested in such as astronomy, physics, chemistry,
and psychology. I was neither encouraged or discouraged by my
teachers as long as I kept the titles “artsy”.
This development shouldn’t have been a surprise.
Some clues…
• I had always been fascinated by and good at the physical
sciences, though I failed Physics in high school. I blame that on
a semester long bubble in the space and time continuum.
• I CLEP’d out of my college science requirements, though maybe
I did a disservice to myself.
• I even wrote and performed a song called “Respire” that
extolled the virtues of photosynthesis to an rock/jazz audience.
Early Works
Traditional Media - Paintings on Canvas
“Cosmicomics”
40" x 58” Mixed Media on Canvas 1991
“Venusian Sunset”
48" x 66” Mixed Media on Canvas 1991
“Natural Causes”
40" x 43” Mixed Media on Canvas 1993
“Osmosis”
43" x 46” Mixed Media on Canvas 1993
“Crazy as we are”
48" x 72”
Mixed Media on Canvas 2002
“Waves and Radiation”
36" x 60” Mixed Media on Canvas 1999
“Revolutions”
46" x 46” Mixed Media on Canvas 1996
“Synastria”
36" x 49” Mixed Media on Canvas 1998
My favorite criticism:
“The gallery looks like a television set
exploded while turned to Saturday
morning cartoons.”
Fast-forward 5 years:
Between teaching art and design on the Mac
and various software applications
I eventually got proficient at making images on
computer. I started experimenting with cg models and
digital compositing to create art and illustrations.
Again the interest in scientific imaging surfaced as
these new works had a visual affinity with modeling.
In Fall 2002 HYLE puts out a call to artists
working with chemistry as a topic in their work.
Fall 2003 the exhibition, “Chemistry in Art”, was published.
My HYLE Artist Statement
In many ways the beauty inherent in some types of art is their
ability to cling to the imagination of a viewer despite a lack of
knowledge of specific information. Whether it is a combination of
formal compositional or visual elements, or pure chance is hard to
know. What is important is that the recency and attractive visual
qualities of such a work can become an opportunity to educate in
an informal manner.
Computer-generated Images
Dreams of Valency
Dissociative Velocity
Electronegativity
Of Vibrations and Time
Flux
Panopticosm
Particle Veil
Stereoscopia
Infinity
Thought Gate
Electric Dawn
Harmony
Spirals of Eden
The Secret Revealed:
The Digital Compositing Process
16 Easy Steps
Tools used: Adobe Photoshop primarily
www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/
Part 2:
Why try Collaboration?
Professional Illustrators abound
There are a great many trained, professional illustrators
and scientific visualization specialists. Their work is recognized
and respected by peers, colleagues ,and in the publishing industry.
They are many times familiar and conversant with the subject
matter of a project or research topic.
Many will have a consistent body of work, a personal aesthetic, already
which gives you a good sense of what your jobs/commissions will look
like when completed.
They will have likely have established fee structures and copyright
management experience that simplifies the planning and publishing
process.
These artists will likely have no difficulty providing you or your publisher
appropriate files and formats as requested and making deadlines.
So why a collaborative project
instead?
They can be fun.
Luddite Garden
Luddite Garden
Collaboration between myself
And William Kleindl, P.W.S.
Also consider a collaborative project because…
• A specific budget for art may be small or non-existent.
• Project may be in development and you want to have more input and
feedback as your specific imaging requirements develop.
• Collaborative process will require dialogue and encourage multiple
interpretations of the project which can generate new approaches,
variations, or ideas.
• A good collaborative project is an experience of teaching and learning.
Participants may gain an appreciation for the technical skill,
complexities of process, and insights other practioners bring to a project.
• You enjoy the work of a specific artist and want to explore its’ potential
as a form visual communication.
• You can utilize local resources, artists, that share a common interest in
science and provide an opportunity to work more closely on drafts and
versions of the work.
Many of you are uniquely situated on campuses with a visual art or
design department that will have faculty who may be interested or older
students who may benefit from the experience.
Finally, a collaborative project because…
• You’ll be able to produce images or illustrations that both engage the
intended audience in an aesthetically pleasing manner while conveying
important concepts or information visually/graphically.
What are the benefits to the artist…
• Published works in distributed media, journals, or print.
• Opportunity to explore new subject matter, experiment with
techniques in a cooperative project-driven environment.
• Professional recognition of accomplishment.
• Possible supplemental income and future licensing fees.
• Ability to network and develop alternate venues to exhibit.
• Personal satisfaction.
Issues to consider before
you look for artists
1. Define the project as best you can.
2. Media or medium preference for the project.
Do you want the images to reflect a state-of-the-art computer
aesthetic, traditional media works, or some balance in between?
3. Project format. Will the work be used in print, electronic media,
or both. It will be important to determine how technically savvy
an artist partner must be before you discuss possibilities.
You do not need definitive answers for each, but they will make it
easier to determine if a specific artist who is interested is appropriate.
What should you look for in a
collaborating artist…
1. Find an artist whose work you really like and respond to.
Be patient and be choosy. Any project is bound to have some
difficulties, but you will be more willing to work through them
if you are committed to the artist’s style and vision.
Ask to see a portfolio of his or her work, from 10 -15 pieces of
art or illustration. This body of work should have a consistent
level of quality, a similar aesthetic sensibility, and variations
among the individual different images showing the ability to
experiment with the media in different situations. Look at the
compositional strategies in the various works, use of color,
scale, and other visual design cues.
2. In discussions with these possible collaborators ask specific
questions about their work, their notions about collaboration,
revisions, listening to input from others, their technical
background in terms of the project, timetables and meeting
deadlines, format options, experimentation, and how do they
see themselves benefiting from the project. What do they
hope to get out of the experience? Be cautious if discussing
possible payment. Find the right partner before you try to
work out many details.
After the interview ask yourself whether the communication
was open and sincere? Do you get a sense that this artist
was truly interested and are his/her expectations consistent
with your ideas about the project? Do you feel that you could
collaborate effectively with a person of his/her temperament?
Do you feel the artist can keep a sense of perspective in terms of
the necessity for the images to communicate specific ideas?
Not all artists are Prima Donnas, but there are a few.
3. Ask for a few informal references that can speak about their
work, background, and ability to follow through with a project
like this. Most will understand your need for some external
verification of their training, experience, and skills.
Art and illustration is a very competitive field. Many former
clients, professors, or colleagues will be willing to take a few
minutes to help a qualified professional secure new and
exciting work.
The references are especially important if this is a paying project.
Try to call these references as soon as you can so they aren’t
coached too much. Ask them a few of the same questions you
asked the artists.
Getting started: After you’ve found a good match
• Start with a small, manageable portion of the project so you can
work out the bugs and determine what is working and what is not.
• Begin with a general planning session to review project, goals,
and collaborative strategies. Confirm expectations about the
project outcomes as well. Compensation? Face to face is best.
• Work out a realistic and flexible schedule that leaves time for
revisions and the possibility to explore new directions in the images.
• Determine the file types and delivery methods you both will use to
share versions, rough drafts, proofs, and corrections. Email .jpg files or better quality printed copies through the mail, ftp?
• Determine what kind of communication method and feedback will
will work best for both parties. This is especially important in terms of
sending your responses, suggestions or visual interpretations back
to your artist collaborator.
Getting started: Another first step
Develop a small reading resource for your collaborator of topical
material that can help broaden his/her understanding of the events,
processes, or the context of the subject of the project. Find accessible,
non-technical sources that can be used as a starting point.
Remember artists are often visual learners and too much reading
might become a hurdle to getting any early versions done. Older
visual materials can also be helpful.
Your first step: Pick up a pencil.
Sketching is easy and it doesn’t
have to be good to be useful.
My Sketchbook: quite simple
Working Together
Working Together
• Meet as often as possible.
• Keep the dialogue and communication at the forefront
of the project, ask questions of each other.
• Try exploring a variety of approaches to the image making
in the beginning and determine which versions will likely
be most successful by a third or fourth draft.
Most Difficult Issue
• Payment or Compensation
related to
• Ownership and Copyright
Payment or Compensation
if possible
• Hire the artist as an employee, you retain the copyright
and the potential to license the images for other projects
or media. University policies probably discourage this.
• Commission the work by the artist with the cost of copyright
transfer of ownership included in the fees. More expensive but
it provides the potential to license the images for other projects.
• Commission the work by the artist with a single usage or multiple usage
license included in the fees. Less expensive, artist retains copyright
ownership.
• After collaboration, negotiate favorable license terms to use images
in possible publishing projects. Artist retains copyright ownership.
However…
Every situation will be different.
The nature of these kinds of projects requires some flexibility and
sharing of credit as well. Anyone who is truly interested in these
kinds of collaborations will realize that all participants are integral to
its’ completion.
This is an important topic to iron out early rather than waiting to see
how things develop later. We all understand that developing more
engaging and contemporary scientific imaging for better visual
communication is an important goal in and of itself.
Finding artists at large
Current Public Projects
Purpose: "...to help scientists, writers and visual communicators develop and share
improved methods of communicating scientific concepts and technical information through
images and visual representations linked to appropriate text. The goal is to enhance the level
of discourse within the scientific community, among teachers and those who communicate
with the public through the mass media.”
- from http://web.mit.edu/i-m/purpose.htm
www.sigmaxi.org/programs/public/im2-2.shtml#how - 8/4 Deadline
www.lanelast.com/bcce.htm
This Powerpoint Presentation
www.lanelast.com/resbcce.htm
A Resources List