Although I work in a digital or virtual medium, I approach the creation of each image with the traditional outlook of a painter and also, in my case, a sculptor.

I use my digital tools with the same techniques that I used to wield my chisel and mallet. I try to bring depth and texture to the images that I work on, as well as, dramatic color and my own unique viewpoint. Often the finished image is very unlike, in color and "feel," from the original image(s). Very often it is a small part of a whole. I like to cut into a small detail or part that eventually develops into the whole.

I create what I like - images I would like to see in my home or office. I had a design instructor in college who said that I would never be a serious artist because my work was "too pretty." He meant it as an insult, but I have always taken it as a compliment. I never wanted to make a "statement" or vent "artistic angst."

The process behind the creation of my digital images begins with capturing a digital image, from a fractal flame or from a photo, that interests me. I approach my images as if it were a block of wood or a stone. I start shaping and see where my feelings and subconscious leads me. I don't plan what I will do to an image or what the final outcome will be like.  More and more I am working with recursive fractal flames. I find them very liberating and stimulating. Images and feelings emerge from the colors and abstract images as I work with the program. My thoughts and feelings seem to be reflected in the images that I find in the flames.

[Mouse over to see the original photo] Forgotten Harvest

With my digital creations I am trying to create something that I enjoy and hope that others will as well.

Jeri Holt
                               www.withdigitaleyes.com

Brief Biography: My art background is short on formal education (an unofficial minor in art) and long on experimentation and self-discovery. I have dabbled in oil, unsuccessfully; watercolors, not bad; and acrylics, pretty good at times. I really didn't have the patience to wait for anything to dry, so acrylics were the best of the lot.

I really found a creative passion when I couldn't afford welding equipment to try metal sculpture and went into wood carving and sculpture instead. With each chip of wood, I could see instant results. So for several years, I produced wood carvings based on my own designs and sold them regionally. I eventually had to stop carving because of damage to my wrist.

I spent twenty years of my life teaching - English, speech, computers, and information management. I left teaching ten years ago and followed my computer and information management interests to a new, but related, field. I began working more and more with web design and digital information management for the Maine Municipal Association where I design and manage web sites and web-based information services. 

My experiences in web design honed my skills with digital imagery and led me to the subject of this site. With Digital Eyes, I  have found instant gratification in my artistic pursuits!