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Digital art arrives at UCF-Cocoa
Cocoa, FL Ŕ On any given day at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
in New York City, 3500 to 4000 visitors view the museumęs intriguing
exhibitions of contemporary art. The experience can be more
than enlightening; in fact, a single artwork can forever change
oneęs perception of art.
Such was the case for Jason Burrell, Instructor of Art at the University of Central Florida-Cocoa.
–As I was leaving MoMA, I caught a glimpse of the lower right corner of a painting,” he said. –There was stuff stapled on and the painting was encrusted with rusty nails. I was leaving but I couldnęt stop looking! As the distance between the painting and myself increased, an image appeared. Everything that I understood about art was challenged by the influence of that one painting.”
The painting was the work of Anselm Kiefer (b. 1945), a German
artist whose art reflects his interest in the reconciliation
of opposites.
Mr. Burrell was always interested in art, particularly drawing.
–I always drew,” he said. –As a child, it was dinosaurs and rocket ships. My parents were always supportive of my goal to be an artist.”
Prior to high school graduation, Mr. Burrell participated in the Pre-College Summer Program at the Rhode Island School of Design. Upon graduation, he enrolled in the studio art program at Salve Regina University in Newport, RI where his studies included graphic design and photography courses. After spending his junior year abroad studying art in Paris through Parsons School of Design, he returned to Salve Regina University.
It was during his senior year that Mr. Burrell visited the Kiefer exhibition at MoMA, then went on to earn a Master of Fine Arts in Drawing at the University of Cincinnati as well as an M.F.A. in Painting at Savannah College of Art and Design.
Influenced by illustration and film, Mr. Burrellęs MFA work included a series of drawings entitled, –Tower of Babel” which measured 10x13 feet.
–The pieces were glued and were so large that I had to place the paper on the floor and literally run along it in order to draw a line,” he said. –I used a broom to create a wash, to move the paint over a large area of the surface in one stroke.”
Mr. Burrell was on the fine arts faculty at Salve Regina University and Saint Mary College in Leavenworth, KS prior to joining the UCF-Cocoa College Arts & Sciences as the first art faculty member in Fall 2002. He currently teaches Digital Photography at the Cocoa campus, and Design Fundamentals (2-D) and Digital Photography at UCF Orlando.
Now working in a smaller format than that of his MFA series, Mr. Burrell enjoys exploring digital technology as a tool of artistic expression and utilizes a neutral palette. (http://www.oocities.org/jasonburrell)
–Viewers can feel the absence of color, and they can discover something about themselves in that moment.”
Mr. Burrell is currently preparing for the Digital Imagery course that he is scheduled to teach at UCF-Cocoa in Spring 2003.
–Pixels, images, the combination of images and text, moving images, and moving text are all legitimate art elements,” he said. –The work is not an exclamation mark, itęs a question mark. Now the focus is teaching students how to use pixels to capture and convey the studentęs meanings, whether commercial or creative.”
–Students will find images on the internet,” he said. –Copyright laws, ethics and fair use policies will be addressed and they will learn to use Adobe Photoshop software to layer images.”
Mr. Burrell is also preparing for his Photography II (Digital Photography) course to be offered in Spring 2003 at UCF-Cocoa.
–Weęre rushing toward communication, toward contact with one another,” he said. –Digital Photography speeds up the process of making pictures. It reduces the time it takes to edit or combine images, and it also reduces the expense of still photography.”
For further information, contact Mr. Jason Burrell in the College
of Arts & Sciences, UCF-Cocoa via e-mail at jburrell@mail.ucf.edu.
- Carol L. Taylor
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