Mixed Media Digital Art by Gary Day

About the Artist

Gary Day, born near Great Falls, Montana, is a multi-faceted artist working with printmaking and computer-generated imagery. His diverse life experiences include playing in rock n' roll bands, working in Alaskan canneries, ranching, and fighting forest fires. Day earned a BA from Montana State University and an MFA from Florida State University. A professor emeritus from the University of Nebraska Omaha, Day directed the UNO Print Workshop, publishing over 80 editions by more than 50 artists. Since the early 1980s, he has merged traditional printmaking with digital media. His current work utilizes 3D modeling, artificial intelligence, digital printing, and handwork to create prints, drawings, and handmade books. Day's artistic journey includes visiting artist positions in France, Belgium, Israel, Spain, and the American Academy in Rome. He has received numerous grants and awards including an Individual Artist Award from the National Endowment for the Arts. His prints and media work have been exhibited nationally and internationally. Gary Day presently lives in Naples, Florida where he is a partner in smallwalls, a studio and project space.

 

Artist Statement

Growing up in small Montana towns, I spent much of my time exploring nature, drawing, and reading. Early jobs drafting maps from survey notes, drawing engineering plans, and botanical illustrations taught me the diverse ways information can be visualized. These experiences, combined with a wide range of art historical influences, from prehistoric art to contemporary digital art forms, have shaped my approach to artmaking. I seek connections between disparate sources, times, and places, weaving together visual fragments to create new constructs. In today's digital era, we are immersed in a constant spew of images from innumerable sources, forming vast lattices of visual information that are endlessly mixed, matched, and manipulated. I often find myself drawn to the "digital detritus" on old drives and storage spaces, repurposing these forgotten fragments into new projects.

My formal art training in printmaking instilled in me a love for process and experimentation, which I have continued to explore for the past fifty-five years, combining traditional techniques with digital tools. Today, my etching and lithography presses have been replaced by large format digital archival pigment printers, and 3D modeling and game development software are my primary drawing tools.

My printmaking career has always included collaborations with other artists, and this project extends that collaborative spirit to artificial intelligence. I am working with AI programs as creative partners to explore how they can contribute to artistic endeavors. The main output of this collaboration is an online Instagram book called "The Alchemist's Garden," which showcases a series of images partially created using various AI programs. Alternative photographic processes and digital imaging have been regarded as “alchemical” in the recent past and artificial intelligence is meeting similar resistance. The process of printing is one more opportunity to introduce an element of alchemy into the work. The prints are made using layers of ink and acrylic paint to build the surface and to allow underlayers to show through the finished monoprints.

Printmaking has always been a collaborative activity, consisting of workshops, group portfolios, exchanges, and residencies. The immediate exchange of ideas in these settings is a great source of information and energy. However, it is the long-term memories and reflections that prove to be the most valuable resource for an artist’s development.