UN Aid Module

This piece started as color and compositional exercise with no particular direction in mind. From the early arrangement of shapes I envisioned an oppressive political wall dividing a cold and war-torn landscape. A UN Aid Module is stopped while displaced peoples collect much needed supplies to cope with their harsh environment. After a few critiques of an earlier composition I cropped in a bit to focus the viewer’s attention mainly on the vehicle and not the details over the wall's edge. In future pieces I'll try to spend more time with human aspects to create more emotive images.

Aerial Abstraction

Inspiring aerial shots by German photographer Stephan Zirwes - love the abstraction that takes place within these images.

Eye in the Sky

There was an interesting segment that aired last week on 60 Mintues - Drones: America's New Air Force. It profiled the revolution that is occurring in unmanned military aviation. These pilotless aircraft are fast becoming a crucial tool in the United States Air Force’s arsenal and fundamentally changing the way we fight. One of the things that interests me about this shift is how it will affect the architecture of air force bases in the future. What will be the future requirements and results of these remote pilot control stations, especially as this emerging technology begins to scale? Will remote pilots soon be flying UAVs with their minds? In the coming weeks I will be playing around with some visual concepts I have regarding this trend - hope to share them soon.

Eco Sports Car

This is my first iteration of an electric sports car inspired by Tesla Motors and other manufactures making serious inroads into more sustainable and efficient transport. My ideation started with a profile exercise then I quickly moved into a 3D program to punch out some simple forms. I like working this way because it allows me to assess the vehicles proportions from multiple angles and make the necessary fine tuning. From there I overlaid the model and began sketching to refine the surface. I imaged this car would feature a hyper light carbon fiber body, electric power plants in each of the front wheels and narrow wheels in the rear for decreased drag. I wanted the car to look like air could effortlessly stream through it. As well, I thought it might be fun to make this model a single seater to get the weight down even further.

Concorso d'Eleganza

The city of Como just had their famous automotive concourse at the Villa d'Este. The event brings together the world’s top car designers and most wealthy collectors. The cars displayed here range from vintage prewar models through to concepts all with the picturesque villa gardens and Lake Como as a backdrop. I got a chance to tour the Villa d'Este grounds while visiting a friend working in Como at Mercedes Benz. Como is an amazing place especially for designers. The location is a source of inspiration in many ways because of its supernatural surroundings and its proximity to Milan, a major design, fashion and architecture hub. Anyways, I hope one day I’m in Como to see this amazing showing of cars.

Dunescape

I started this piece with an open concept hoping to find the subject during the process. By painting broad strokes and collaging various images together to suggest specific shapes and textures I quickly arrived at an interesting composition. I envisioned a series of massive cantilevered structures that support a suspended energy pipeline that gracefully stretches across an endless dune landscape. I wanted these support structures to appear to be mostly forgotten. Their battered facades weathered by centuries of perpetual sand storms and scorching hot temperatures. I’m happy to leave this image’s background story slightly obscured. I want the viewer to ask questions and possibly superimpose his or her on narrative upon it. Who built these structures and what are they conveying? Is this scene a futuristic off-world mining operation or a dystopian Middle East?