Inspiration

Everyday inspiration comes from a viewpoint on general observation but is often backed up by flicking through design books or magazines on specific project work. My basic enjoyment of design stems from more diverse sources...

During my teens I bought several books of work by Boris Valejio, Rodney Matthews and the brilliant Frank Frazetta and dreamt of being half as skillful an illustrator. Around '77 I bought a copy of "Views" by Roger Dean. Amongst other things he was responsible for the "Virgin" ID and many '70s album covers, but it was his 3D work which hooked my imagination. This book showed me that "stuff in your head" could become a physical reality. Not the housing estate reality of the big developer, nor the purely abstract reality of the sculptor. Dean somehow combined the two, creating practical structures by exploring shape and movement.
Through Dean's example I first discovered a design process with a meaningful ending, a syntheses of pragmatic construction and open imagination.

At the same time as unvieling design through Dean I discovered the writing of H. P. Lovecraft. Dying early in the 20th century he was seen by many as a more modern Edgar Allan Poe and has spawned numerous following writers. Lovecraft's tales often lapsed into elongated descriptions of impossibly fantastic structures from different times and spaces. Possibly because these were written descriptions, and not visuals of any form, they fed my imagination with unrealized potential. Perhaps an unreachable goal?

Personal Spaces

My ideal personal space would be an abstract blend of gothic architecture and oriental minimalism. A conflict?
My blend would need a large scale, using the Gothic as a treatment to minimalist form. Together they would create a geometry which would pay homage to the negative space, for it is within the negative that the positive can be appreciated and therefore utilized to it's fullest.

Enough Rambling... Now About My Work

Large physical projects with time-scales of five months or longer are what I relish. Perhaps I should have gone into architecture but I prefer the pace and tone of events.
I work best in a team when presented with a pre-strategically developed brief and progressing the physical space via sketches, computer models, draughting and conversations with contractors. Nevertheless, I do enjoy being involved in initial creative 'brainstorms' and believe that this is often an overlooked element.

I prefer using a computer to a drawing board for finished drawings, 3D visual work and for all but the most rudimentary sketches. I firmly believe the saying that "God is in the detail". Making sure that the detail is right is the item which gives a job credibility. In retail design it may be a metalwork joint, in the theater it may be the timing of a light effect - all detail.

The biggest kick I get out of my job is walking around an environment that I have brought to life. From mind pattern through meaningless scribble to our real world.

Aspirations

To continue in what I do with large sized projects for professional clients who take their own presence seriously.
I believe that, because we live in an ever more virtual world, our industry has a unique capacity to entertain and educate audiences.