Chip Neville, MFA - Visual Art
Chip Neville - Visual Artist
My MFA is in visual art which was the degree that could encompass all the varied medium and approaches I use in my creative practice. In my experience the degree was very much a theory based study. As a visual artist approaching a project, I let the content and concept determine the medium. I perceive this as a different approach to one dedicated to a particular medium such as ceramics, film, or sculpture.
A visual artist is also very interested in semiotics. This being the study of symbols. Here we find the genesis of the complex visual world we now live in. Everywhere we look there are signs and symbols that communicate a whole host of varied messages, warnings, and commands. These symbols arose long ago in human culture perhaps from hand gestures and calls. then moved into glyphs, markings and writing. To me the study of semiotics is essential to the understanding of the visual culture we inhabit.
Nocturne -16" x 20" Diptych, Acrylic on Canvas, and Mars - 16" x 20", Acrylic on Canvas.
Illustration
Currently I am pursuing illustration through a variety of activities. First there are my sketchbooks. I usually keep a minimum of two going at all times. There are rules for these. I date the first page and draw from cover to cover. I always use hardbound Strathmore 5.5" x 8.5" and 8.5" x 11" or equivalent books. I also utilize a host of other books of sometimes black or grey colored paper, sometimes different sizes. I occasionally have 4 or 5 different sketch books going at a time. Not surprisingly some books can take more than a year to complete.
I also frequently using Adobe Illustrator to create images with. This is a very powerful vector drawing tool that I have used professionally and Privately since the late 1980s. I similarly use Photoshop to create imagery professionally and privately. The page headers of this website are a good example of my style.
I consider Block Printing to be an important new pursuit creatively. I am enamored with the process and the potential for unique variations between prints. I think it is an important skill (Block Printing) in that it requires a consideration and refinement to the image not typical in today's visual culture.
Low County Art Store Logo - 4 x 3, block print, and excerpt from Self portrait as anime character, digital composit.
Photography
The captured image is an integral and inexorable part of my creative practice. Like the pencil, the camera is a foundational tool for the visual artist. This moment of light is where pure design and composition are so clearly assessable. In addition to the camera allowing me to examine imagery, it also is a place to experiment with the basic elements and principles of design. It reminds me how in the study of music the piano offers the greatest singular command of the sound spectrum, so to the camera allows the visual to be exploited to the greatest degree.
Macro and low light photography
My training as a visual artist is the umbrella under which the majority of my creative process occurs.
A collage of iamgery relating to Chip Neville as an artist
