Matt Lindley

“scribbled again”
In an epic journey through software apps!
[insert dramatic musical score by Danny Elfman here]

OK, not really very epic, but that sounds a bit more impressive than reality - and didn’t that phrase catch your eye? ;-D

This piece started as a scribble on my iPad (using Sketchbook Pro). While watching old episodes of Star Trek last night, I let my hand randomly draw out a scribble in a bunch of random colors. Tonight, I brought it into Blender to give it a little dimension (made it look a little like it was on silk fabric that was blowing in the wind). Then on to Ps, where I systematically applied a number of filters and blends, which kinda wrecked the fabric illusion and obliterated most of the prior colors - but I didnt care. Then exported the color channels out to Ai, where I “vectorized” each one. Then back to Ps to reassemble the “vectorized” channels into a color composite, at the size I wanted.

Whew.
58in x 36in
big: http://mattlindley.info/post/2012/05/31/scribbled-again.aspx

“the changing”
When the changing starts, what kind of beast will you become?
58in x 36in.
big: http://mattlindley.info/post/2012/05/31/the-changing.aspx

“blood ‘n butter”
Yeah, well, it looks slightly like something gory, to me anyway. This one was created using Photoshop’s 3D engine, rather than Blender. For some tasks, Photoshop does quite well. After the initial render, I did some post-processing in Ps, then more work in Ai, then back to Ps to finish up.
58in x 36in
big: http://mattlindley.info/post/2012/05/30/blood-n-butter.aspx

“desert”
This started out as a fabric render, but it looked more like a desert terrain, so I just went with it.
58in x 36in;
big: http://mattlindley.info/post/2012/05/29/desert.aspx

“flag”
Memorial Day. In 1967 we officially set aside this day to remember those who lost their lives in the defense of our country. How many people remember that? How many even take a moment to give a thought to the men and women who have died in the service of our country? Not enough, most likely. For those that do, or those that will after reading this, I would encourage you to remember that these men and women did not die defending a singular belief. They did not die for one religion. They did not die for one race of people. They died for an idea. That all men and women should have the freedom to live their lives, believe what they choose, worship as they want and love whom they choose. If our basic rights and civil liberties do not apply to everyone, then these men and women died in vain. If all citizens are not treated with the same equality, then our freedom is meaningless.

Just something to think about as you remember that what we have was won with the blood, sweat, and tears of others.

58”x36”
big: http://mattlindley.info/post/2012/05/28/Flag.aspx

Abstract made from an old Hosta leaf photo.
36in x 58in
big: http://mattlindley.info/post/2012/05/27/untitled-052712.aspx

“viral”
Once you think something, once you hear something, it changes you - however slightly. Whether or not you agree with it. Whether or not you integrate it into your life or your way of thinking. Ideas can reinforce or break down preconceptions as they migrate from one person to another. They can bolster what you already think or they can weaken long held beliefs. Either way, the idea spreads, infecting others in your circle, spreading outward to more and more people. Whether or not you intentionally share the idea or do so subconciously, through your words or actions, you spread it. With a single idea, civilizations can be made or destroyed. Fortunes can be gained or lost. Lives are altered. You are being infected as you read this.
Ideas are viral.
58in x 36in
big: http://mattlindley.info/post/2012/05/27/viral.aspx

“as yet unborn” Trying something new here. I often use a process I’ve come up with for some of my images that (roughly) entails:

1. take a 3D scene that I’ve rendered, or a photo I’ve taken,
2. open it in Photoshop and do something to it (filters, editing, drawing, etc)
3. open the photoshopped image in Illustrator and process it using customized Live Trace settings (about 10 different Live Trace steps per image) - the reason is twofold. First, converting the image to vectors allows me to size it how I want. Second… well, I like the way it makes some images look.
4. Open the “vectorized” image in Photoshop and resize to my standard size (58x36 or 36x58 inches)
5. Do more filters, blending, brushing, whatever.

This time, however, I tried something new. Before opening the image in Illustrator, I split the image into three grayscale images, based on the red, green, and blue channels. Then I continued my process in Illustrator on all three channel images. Then, imported each back into Photoshop and reblended them to get back to a color composite. The result seems to allow me a little more flexibility in size and adds in a slight amount of uncertainty in the final image. That’s because when I go and “vectorize” each channel alone, the end result does not line up perfectly. There is some variation in how the channels line back up. I also gain some finer control over how I blend the channels back together. I think I like it. Why do you care? You don’t, I guess. I just felt like sharing today. 58in x 36in big: http://mattlindley.info/post/2012/05/24/as-yet-unborn.aspx

“gooey”
Pain in the butt piece. Not exactly what I wanted it to be. After so many crashes (Blender and Illustrator), I realized that my computer is just not powerful enough, and lacking in RAM, to pull off what I was going for.
58in x 36in;
big: http://mattlindley.info/post/2012/05/24/gooey.aspx

“Dreamscape 3”
And another “dreamscape” abstract. This one began from a photo I took in my yard of tree bark, if you can believe that. The photos serve as a jumping point for these pieces. I just let my imagination and experimentation take it from there. Hope you like it!
36in x 58in
Big: http://mattlindley.info/post/2012/05/22/Dreamscape-3.aspx