Published: August 20, 2008 12:16 pm            

Creations with universal appeal | Display to feature local man's art

BY RUTH RICE

RRICE@TRIBDEM.COM

A local artist is taking digital art where it has never gone before.

“Exploring New Worlds,” an exhibit of 22 digitally enhanced pieces of art by Southmont resident Ray Rafferty, will be on display Monday through Nov. 7 in the Wolf-Kuhn Gallery on the campus of Mount Aloysius College, Cresson.

Rafferty is no stranger to the college gallery. He exhibited his traditional digital photography, “The Scenery Around Us,” there in 2004.

Th former and current exhibits were sponsored by the Mount Aloysius Art Alliance.

“We had him several years ago and were so pleased with him,” said Cathy Homer of Strongstown, alliance president.

“When he explained what his new exhibit was like, we said, ‘Go for it.’ ”

This new exhibit of more modern art incorporates Rafferty’s own photos with artwork created using Photoshop computer software.

While some real-life objects such as clothespins and Rafferty’s photos are used in some of the pieces, he estimated that 95 percent of his artwork is created totally from his imagination and Photoshop.

“I hope this generates interest with the students and professors bring their classes to the exhibit,” Rafferty said. “The students are more confident with computer software. You don’t see many exhibits in the area like this.”

“Exploring New Worlds” is inspired by cosmology, which is the branch of philosophy dealing with the origin and general structure of the universe.

Rafferty would like those who view his exhibit to see how art is motivated by concepts.

“I want to bring out different types of space, not just space away from the earth,” he added.

Rafferty believes his creations are developing a link between science and art, which are usually two different subjects.

His works have won awards throughout the region as well as in New York City.

Rafferty learned a lot about presentation from his friend, the late Ralph Clemenson, a landscape artist well-known in the local art community.

A reception for Rafferty’s exhibit will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. Sept. 7 at the gallery.

After more than 50 years of working in watercolors, acrylics, oils, pastels and charcoal, Rafferty set his sights on photography in 2002, when he purchased a digital camera.

“For the first six months, I experimented and read,” he said. “I didn’t take anyone’s word for anything, I tested everything myself.”

Rafferty said he learned the ins and outs of Photoshop software on his own.

He enjoys the versatility of the software and plans to take it as far as it will go in his artistic attempts.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Rafferty said.

“It’s a hobby you can do 24 hours a day. I never get done because I find new ways to use it. I still find it fascinating to this day.”

His computer expertise comes from his former job as manager of information services with the U.S. Postal Service.

Before retiring in 1992, he managed the computer department for the Johnstown management area, consisting of 250 post offices.

“The post office got its first computers in 1980, and I wrote general application programs for them,” Rafferty said.

At 73, Rafferty is branching out into yet another artistic direction.

He is combining his painted art and digital art into a mixed media canvas that includes components from seven or eight of his photographs.

“I’ll take the sky from one and mountains from another,” Rafferty said.

“If you put it together right, you can’t tell. I get it printed on canvas, then mount it on foam core. I can use my brush and acrylic for trees, pen and ink or colored pencil for accent lines and regular pencil for birds.”

Rafferty added that he is enjoying his newest artistic endeavor better than anything he’s ever done.

“It uses all the media I’ve ever dealt with,” he said. “It gives a striking three-dimensional image you can’t get with a single media.”



One-man show

What: “Exploring New Worlds,” digital art by Ray Rafferty.

Where: Wolf-Kuhn Gallery, Mount Aloysius College, Cresson.

When: Monday through Nov. 7.

Hours: By appointment.

Reception: 1 to 3 p.m. Sept. 7.

Information: 886-4131.

        

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