I’ve always been fascinated with trompe l’oeil, which is an art technique that creates the illusion of 3D space on a 2D surface. The term translates from French as “deceive the eye.” What you see looks almost real, but not quite. Photography, in a sense, is trompe l’oeil, in that it is a 2D depiction of something that exists in real life. But the digital artwork created with 3D software takes this a step further: most of these imaginary places do not exist at all.
That is the case with this work in my “warehouse” series. I imagine these buildings existing somewhere south of downtown Seattle, in the lots occupied by low-rise warehouses, office buildings, and salvage shops. But these are all buildings from my imagination, lining imaginary streets, lit with imaginary lights, and occupied by imaginary men in stiff suits. I love creating these 3D spaces on my computer, and then moving myself around them until I can compose the right “shot.” If I’m successful, I end up with a type of trompe l’oeil — an image you suppose for a moment might be real, but upon closer inspection you find that your eyes have been deceived.
