About
​I am a multi-disciplinary artist and developer. I was trained as a fine artist with a focusing on the intersection of art and technology. I received my BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and my MFA from the University of Chicago where I studied in the Department of Visual Arts while co-sponsored by the Computational Institute. I've long been fascinated by algorithmic and procedural methods of art making and this interest has manifested itself in my work through the use of evolutionary algorithms, breeding art, creative use of code, data visualization, and the use of procedural software like Houdini to create my work.
I have extensive experience with 3D and software development in the context of fine art, and VFX production. I am fluent in a number of 2D and 3D DCCs but have recently put a lot of focus and effort into Houdini. I have extensive experience working in Houdini: SOPs, Python, VEX, simulation, HDA creation, etc. In addition to Houdini I have a wide range of creative and technical/development skills.
Early in my freelance career I spent quite a lot of time working closely with individual fine artists. They would often approach me with their concepts and creative problems that were beyond their technical abilities. I would work closely with them to develop creative solutions. These solutions have ranged from interactive web and gallery installations, anatomically correct digital animal skull sculptures, procedurally generated gcode, to synchronized multi-display art installations.
In addition to working with individual fine artists I have had the pleasure of working with large corporate clients like Apple, AMD, Harley Davidson, and Microsoft. Often my professional work has involved customization of DCCs through code and procedural tools. This has involved enormous amounts of python, vex, and the use of TOPs within Houdini. Broadly speaking, I have over 2 decades of writing code in multiple languages and have worked as a fine artist, an artist in production (modeling, texturing, lookdev, rendering [Redshift, Arnold, & Vray, animation, comp, etc.), been a developer creating a wide range of software tools for artists and teams to use in production, built pipelines from the ground up, managed local and cloud render farms both for CPU and GPU rendering, developed real-time experiences, and have been responsible for research and development around adopting new technologies, building new methods for production, and applying that research towards creating new services for studios.
As the above summation of past work indicates I have worked in a fairly wide range of roles and contexts. This breadth of experience has come from my eagerness accept new creative and technical challenges. I relish the opportunity solve creative problems and learn any technology that may be necessary to achieve that creative goal. This wide range of experience has given me the opportunity to see production and art making from many perspectives. Most importantly this experience has afforded me a deep understanding of technical and production needs but, most importantly, an understanding of how to approach and evaluate those needs from the perspective of an artist.