Resumé
Career Summary
Tim Forcade has over 40 years experience as an artist, painter, photographer and designer with much of that time devoted to the study and application of art and technology. Since the 1960's he has combined his fine arts education in drawing & painting with research in photography, electronics and computer graphics resulting in numerous exhibitions, published articles, books and interactive works.
Here’s a brief look at the last 40 years.
Into Sound & Light
By the late 1960's—as a student of drawing and painting at the University of Kansas —Tim began to apply aesthetics to electronic circuit design resulting in numerous kinetic artworks, photographs, videos, and exhibits. In 1969 his stroboscopic figure studies and early kinetic works were shown at the Spooner Art Museum ( Lawrence ) .
His Light Machines 3 and 4 consisted of programmable semiconductor chaos devices designed to transform live and recorded sound into colored light compositions. Tim used these devices to create photographs, videos and his own music compositions “based on visual criteria”. In 1984 he used his light machines to create Lux Aeterna a collaborative live choral/video performance in conjunction with the University of Kansas Collegiate Singers ( Lawrence ).
Throughout the ‘80s, his electronic works and photos appeared in a number of exhibits and performances nationally and internationally. His solo exhibits include the Artemisia Gallery ( Chicago ), Kansas City Artist’s Coalition ( Kansas City ) and at the Alberta College of Art, ( Calgary ) and group exhibits at Art Research Center ( Kansas City ), Kellas Gallery ( Lawrence ), Pinnacle Gallery ( Rochester , NY ) and O.S. Gallery (Seattle).
Video performances of his work “Incantations” toured universities including Phillips Academy , ( Andover , MA ), University of Denver , and Syracuse University (NY) nationally and across Europe in connection with Svergies Television , Sweden .
From the mid-80’s through the 90’s he lectured and participated in various symposia on subjects including “The Relationship of Art & Science” (Art Research Center, Kansas City, 1983) to “The Electronic Studio” (Art Director’s Club, Kansas City, 1989) and “3D Plug-in Technology (Autodesk Multimedia Developers Conference, San Francisco, 1995)
Professional Photography & Applied Computer Graphics
Since the 60's Tim has also worked as a professional photographer shooting anything his clients could throw at him, from ice cream cones & designer fashions to photo illustration, and aerial photography. In 1977 he founded Forcade Associates—a photography and design production company. By the mid 1980's he had integrated computer graphics into Forcade Associates' practice as well as into his own experimental artworks.
Tim has also participated in the emergence and evolution of 2D and 3D computer graphics as an artist, beta tester, author, and software development team member. This has enabled him not only to work with computer media as it evolved but to affect the media itself by interacting directly with its programmers and developers. For example, he helped develop the user interface and program functions for Character Studio—a human motion animation program used to create realistic character animation for feature films.
Consulting, Writing & Teaching
He has presented and consulted to various computer graphics software companies including Microsoft, UnReal Pictures, Animatrix, and Autodesk. He has also exhibited and published work at computer graphics conferences such as SIGGRAPH (Special Interest Group for Computer Graphics), NCGA (National Computer Graphics Association) and Seybold Conference.
He is a former contributing editor to various computer graphics publications including Computer Graphics World and Computer Artist magazines and has been guest speaker at various user's group meetings and computer graphics conventions on the subject of applied computer graphics in art. His books and articles on using computer graphics for images and animation have been published worldwide. He has taught at various colleges including Baker University , the University of Kansas , and Alberta College of Art.
Hiatus & Limited Edition Pigment Prints
Throughout his career along with his work with sound, light and computer graphics he has continuously experimented with photography creating thousands of images. His new work continues to explore “seeing ambiguously” as he maintains his camera work in the studio and on location. In 2006 he began exhibiting his work again after a 20 year hiatus—now showing large limited edition pigment prints. Since then his work has been published in Popular Photography magazine, received a number of International Photography Awards and has shown at The Center for Fine Art Photography ( Ft. Collins , CO ), Fields Gallery ( Lawrence ), Lawrence Arts Center , and the Denver International Airport among others.