Digital Art

Stihl in Love

My brother is a big fan of Stihl chainsaws. Over twenty years he has collected over forty Stihls of various models and years. He loves working on old Stihls and showing his collection to friends. This digital art was created for my brother, who is Stihl in love after twenty years.

The Basics of Formline Art

Bill Holm first coined the term formline to describe the distinctive two-dimensional design style of the northern Northwest Coast indigenous people. Formline is characterized by its flowing line style that thickens and curves through the composition to create subject outlines. Within Alaskan formline composition the subject can be broken down into the primary and the secondary formline. Primary formline forms the outermost layered form of the subject, and is often black in color. In contrast, the secondary formline forms the interior outlines of the subject and is often colored red.

Formline can be further broken down into three stylistic elements that are repetitively used to create the outline subjects: U-shapes, ovoids, and S-shapes. In general, the ovoids shape act as visual centers, or main form body from which a U-shape flow from to define movements and appendages such as fins and tails.

CoVID - 19 Virus

Inspired by Tlingit moon and sun masks, I created a Tlingit style form line design of the COVID - 19 Virus.

You can see the spiked glycoproteins in red utilizing U forms. The single small orange ovids represent the membrane proteins and the blue green double ovids represent the hemagglutinin-esterase (HE). While not an accurate illustration of the COVID-19, I created this illustration as a educational and light hearted depiction of the new virus.

Due to COVID-19, my MFA gallery exhibition was closed due to social distancing and few people were able to see my art in person. Yet the creation of this formline COVID-19 really helped me reflect on my feelings and thoughts. In the end, I created a COVID-19 that not only celebrates my art form but also brings a smile to my face.

Red Sea Cucumber

The Red Sea Cucumber is an shellfish species for both Commercial and subsistence fisheries. Both the meat and skins are harvested. Sea cucumbers are harvested across Southeast Alaska with processing plants from Juneau to Ketchikan. The formline illustrates a Haida salmon head juxtaposed next to two U-forms with S-shape tubed feet.

Northern White Chiton

The Northern White Chiton is found on the rocky intertidal zone in southeast Alaska. Chitons are harvested locally in Alaska and is managed by ADF&G as "shellfish". The formline design of the Northern White Chiton illustrates the overlapping shell plates and the tan girdle.

Pacific geoduck

The pacific geoduck is harvested for subsistence, personal use and commercial in Alaska. The formline design of the pacific geoduck illustrates the siphon in a large red ovoid and thick U-form. The clam shell is an Haida salmon head in a sandy buff color.

This is a Fish

The state of Alaska defines fish as: "Any species of aquatic finfish, invertebrate, or amphibian, in any stage of its life cycle." As such, this formline art of two frogs is a witticism of regulatory definitions in the state of Alaska.

Red Sea Urchin

Haida style of formline design of a red sea urchin. The main body of the outer skeleton is a stylized salmon head with S - shapes radiating outward to mimic the many spines of the urchin. The red sea urchin is primary found on rocky shorelines of the outside coast, with largest populations found in southern southeast.

Sharp’s White Chiton

An light gray and white formline study of Sharp’s White Chiton. This chiton is also found in southeast Alaska and are managed by ADF&G as "shellfish". The formline design of the Northern White Chiton illustrates the overlapping shell plates and the tan girdle.

Giant North Pacific Octopus

An Haida style formline design of the Giant North Pacific Octopus.

All commercial fisheries harvest of octopus in both state and federal waters are managed by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. In general, commercial fishermen take octopus through bycatch in commercial trawl, longline and pot fisheries. Octopus are classified as "miscellaneous shellfish".

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