John Moberg: Photoshop Man!

           John Moberg

                               (www.modernclimate.com)

The artist that I have chosen to research is John Moberg.  I stumbled upon his work simply by typing "digital artists" in my Google search bar.  When I clicked on a link to one of the top results, I was met with some interesting images that reminded me of the project that we are undertaking for class and observed a variety of artwork that looked heavily layered and used a large palette of color and patterns.  As I searched for his history of works and sifted through the results of my search engine, I discovered that he is a Yale graduate and owns a business named Digital Ink, which can be found on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Digital-ink/404552436248308). One website (art-3000.com) states that his choice of medium is Photoshop and that he is based in L.A.  Aside from this information, his biography seems to be very quiet.

103a

http://www.digitalartistdaily.com/image/15437/103a

This piece, entitled "103a," stood out to me in my searches along with the image below, "137a."

137a

http://www.digitalartistdaily.com/image/15746/137a

I found these pieces to be particularly intriguing, mainly due to the aesthetic realism that they create.  The computer generated nature that is produced using overlapping images and highly contrasting colors combined with variable opacity, to me, is very unique.  In image "103a," the people that have been placed in the foreground as compared to the background, which is a mixture between a sunset in the mountains and a cataract that appears to just appear, simulates how most images of people actually are: people in foreground, nature in the background to show place.  The interesting, almost abstract, structure of the image collages poorly lit, somewhat monotone images with vibrant "happy colors."  The central focus of the image is generated by the ring that surrounds the "renaissance" violinist and the angel above the man in the American flag wheelbarrow.  I'm not sure what the meaning of this image is exactly, but I speculate that it is a symbol of patriotism, given the American flag and the helmet that says "No Faith" on it.  It may also suggest that mankind has imposed itself in all realms of nature, if one chooses the seemingly more cynical vantage point.  Image "137a," I believe, contrasts the meaning of the previous image, in that nature is what is being imposed.  In both images, Moberg uses very defined shapes and vibrant colors, at the same time as he uses lots of blending and fading between layers of images to create a cohesive space.  These images together are good examples for the project we are currently working on: using Photoshop to create a "believable" 3D digital space.

I found the aesthetic quality of Moberg's images to be very appealing and was entranced by the cohesiveness between images of the foreground and background.  Some more of his images continued to use nature and humans in overlays together, some of which were, in my mind, pretty cool looking!  I was suprised to see that Moberg doesn't have many pieces or that much information can be found about him or his work.  I really enjoy the challenge of observing his work and the uniqueness of his design in each image.

Here are some more that caught my eye, just to tease the senses:

Art 1

http://www.digitalartistdaily.com/image/15749/art_1

-- Pay attention to the sphere in the upper right corner.  Similar spheres are used in some of his other pieces and are used as magnifications that would utilize the "Transform" device of Photoshop.

180a

http://www.digitalartistdaily.com/image/15895/180a