Digital Artist and Printmaker To Offer Public Workshop

Digital Artist and Printmaker To Offer Public Workshop

San Luis Obispo, CA, October 26, 1998 -- Artist Lyn Bishop and printmaker Christopher August have collaborated on "A Digital Artist: On the Road in China," a project that has produced limited edition Iris prints of five digital paintings inspired by Bishop’s recent journey to China. The two will present a public workshop on Saturday November 14, 1998, from 1 to 2:30 P.M. at August Editions in San Luis Obispo, CA.

"The world around me provides my inspiration," remarks Bishop, principal of Zama Online Design, a Bay Area illustration studio. In July, Bishop traveled in China for 18 days to study ancient art and culture for the purpose of completing five original works of art. She will share that experience though a lecture and demonstration at the November 14 workshop.

Based on August’s reputation for exacting craftsmanship, last spring Bishop invited him to create the series of handcrafted Iris prints. "I relish acting as midwife to the creative process by working with artists to craft intriguing, original, and collectible works of art," comments August, founder of the digital studio August Editions. "Lyn’s China images are not only dazzling, they express a fresh and thoughtful artistic vision, and dramatize the potency digital tools can have in the hands of an artist with
a solid traditional background." At the November 14 open house, August will speak about Iris digital printmaking and offer a hands-on demonstration of the process.

Ancient Culture, Digital Tools Create Timeless Art

For Bishop, at the heart of the China project lay the idea of applying digital tools and techniques to some of the traditional arts practiced there. For that reason, along with her passport, artistic vision, and respect for those traditional forms, Bishop traveled with a G3 Powerbook, digital camera, graphics tablet, and software. "I just wanted to prove that new technologies allow the digital artist unlimited freedom to take to the road. Also, there was something irresistibly challenging about using
such modern tools to portray aspects of this ancient culture."

Prominent Venues, Prestigious Collections

Similarly, August Editions applies advanced technology to the fine printmaker’s time-honored craft. A founding member of the International Association of Fine Art Digital Printmakers, Christopher August has worked continuously in art and graphics for over 20 years. Since 1992, he has been using the Iris 3047 printer to produce museum-quality digital prints for artists and photographers. His Iris prints have appeared in solo exhibits at such prominent national venues as the International Center for
Photography (New York City), the National Gallery of Women in the Arts (Washington, DC), and the Visual Studies Workshop (Rochester, NY). They are also in notable private collections, including those of the Norwegian Royal Family and Vice President and Mrs. Gore.

For each of the digital paintings in Bishop’s China project, August will print limited editions of 24, measuring 20 x 30-in., on acid-free Arches for Iris paper. Suitable for gallery exhibition and sale, they will be on display at August Editions throughout November, then travel to Moonglow Gallery (Carlisle, MA). Prints are available from both galleries.

For more information, the project’s companion web site -- including inspiration journal, QuickTime VR panorama movies, and an online gallery -- can be found at http://www.zama.com/ontheroad.
Lyn Bishop lives and works in Sunnyvale, CA. She can be reached at artist@zama.com.

Chris August holds a BFA from California Institute of the Arts. He lives and works in San Luis Obispo, CA and can be reached at caugust@augusteditions.com or through his web site
http://www.augusteditions.com.

Press/Media Contact
Lisa Leonard
da Vinci Media
408-335-1649
leonard@cruzio.com

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