ARTST STATEMENT

Utopic investigates the artificial nature of our modern day interpretation of the natural world and how that compares to the way we approach our immediate consumer world. I am interesting in modes of representing the natural world through events and objects that have been fabricated or taken out of context. This unnatural experience of the so-called natural world is reflects the way we as modern day consumers ingest products.  What becomes interesting is that the closer we come to mimicking the natural world the further away we separate ourselves from it.

The work is presented as large-scale color archival digital prints ranging in size from 17x30" to 23x90"

BIOGRAPHY

Jason DeMarte was born in Louisiana in 1973 but spent most of his childhood in Colorado. Growing in Colorado's natural beauty had a profound effect on Jason, an effect that is still evident in his work to this day.

While he has been making pictures since he was 11 years old, Jason was originally interested in biological sciences. After attending school pursuing a degree in science, Jason decided he could investigate his interests in the natural world better with Photography.

Jason DeMarte is now an established artist, currently teaching photography at Mississippi State University. He received his B.F.A. in Photography from Colorado State University and then his M.F.A. in Photography from the University of Oregon. Previous to teaching in Mississippi, Jason taught photography for three years at Zayed University, an all Muslim women's University in the United Arab Emirates. Working overseas allowed Jason to travel to over a dozen countries, strengthening the insightful and unique perspective he works from.

BIOGRAPHY

Mr. E. Cipher is a self-taught photographer, learning everything he knows about the mechanics of photography from secondhand books. While only taking pictures since 2005, he has quickly evolved into a capable and sought-after photographer. His photographs are in private collections the world over and he has had his work displayed and published on a small scale. Mr. E. is constantly experimenting with new or recent techniques. He is the originator of the Digital Diana, as well as the creator and popularizer of the "Through The Viewfinder" technique, which has received quite a bit of press and internet attention. He has no qualms about the use of digital or Photoshop, and often combines both digital and analog elements in the same picture. By the time you've finished reading this, Mr. E. will have invented two new photographic techniques.