Sandra Anstiss - Digital Media Artist

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I graduated from the University of Wales Institute Cardiff as a Fine Art printer in 1994 at the age of 45, working mainly monochromatic in monoprints, woodcuts, etchings etc.  I later combined my passion for computers with my love of printmaking and my work now goes through many stages utilising both traditional and contemporary practices – the final process nearly always digitally produced.  However, these processes are still evolving.<o:p></o:p>

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At present I am in the first year of a 2 year part-time Masters degree in Arts in the Community at the University of Glamorgan<o:p></o:p>

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Artist’s statement:<o:p></o:p>

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The  subject matter of my work revolves around my dream world,  and in the  waking world I strive to interpret my dreams, to make visible to others the invisible.  It is a  unique world,  mine alone, it exists only  through the power of my own imagination - taking sustenance from my thoughts, my fears, my essence - my very soul.  <o:p></o:p>

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The computer allows me the freedom to give form and substance to my dreams, and  to  share my world with others.  It never ceases to amaze me that the computer, a logical, mechanical, man-made device used every day by countless millions of people in the workplace and home, can also be used as a creative tool, enabling great sensitivity and endless computations to metamorphose my dreams - to give life and substance to the twilight world of my imagination. <o:p></o:p>

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As with other media before it, the digital art studio is not always considered to be a true art form.  More and more ‘user friendly’ software is being developed for the home computer enthusiast with claims of turning anyone into and ‘instant artist’.  The credibility of this media as a true art form has therefore often been called into question, with the result that  some artists have abandoned this form of artistic expression and returned to the more traditional forms of painting, printing etc., before fully exploring its unique qualities. <o:p></o:p>

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Just like other emerging mediums, painting with light instead of pigments is just  another tool  for artists to utilise in the production of works of art .  My aim is to produce digital artwork not only for public view but also to raise its profile amongst other artists as a complimentary medium used alongside, not instead of, more traditional methods. <o:p></o:p>