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Bert Monroy, Master Artist Tribute VIII: A Digital Artist Paints With Light

January 17 - April 5, 2009

 

The Hearst Art Gallery of Saint Mary's College is pleased to present a major survey of the preeminent digital master Bert Monroy, a world-renowned Photoshop artist and teacher, known for pioneering and innovative digital painting techniques. The Master Artist Tribute series was created to honor artists whose significant bodies of art work are rivaled by the influence of their teaching on generations of art students. Prior honorees have been Wayne Thiebaud , Nathan Oliveira, Manual Neri, Ruth Bernhard, Frank Lobdell, Stephen de Staebler and Carlos Villa. (right: Bert Monroy, Blue Door, 2002)

Born to Mexican and Columbian immigrants and raised in Brooklyn, Monroy spent 20 years in the advertising industry as an art director and creative director for various agencies as well as his own. With the introduction of the Macintosh 128 in 1984, he embarked on a new career, embracing the computer as his artistic medium. The 50 astonishing super-realist digital images on view represent the last twenty-five years of his career. Several images from the exhibition are posted on the museum's website, http://hearstartgallery.org

Monroy has taught at colleges and universities across the country, most recently at San Francisco State University and Schoool of Visual Arts, NYC, and at Pixar and Industrial Light and Magic (ILM). His largest following comes from his Photoshop talks throughout the country as well as podcasts and television appearances. Monroy's clients include Apple, Adobe, Fujitsu, SONY, and AT&T. He has also done a considerable amount of film work for ILM, Pacific Data Images and R/Greenberg Associates. He is the host of his own weekely podcast Pixel Perfect with Bert Monroy.

 

Biography

I consider myself a hyper-realist artist. I love to paint. I use the word paint for lack of a better word. My medium is actually light. I have a passion for making things happen on the screen. Finding a new way of doing something and finding a new room in my imagination is what I love about the work.
 
Noted digital artist, author and lecturer, Bert Monroy has taught digital art, and inspired countless numbers of people worldwide. A first-generation American, born to immigrant parents of Columbian and Mexican descent and raised in the projects in Brooklyn, Monroy spent 20 years in the advertising industry as an art director and creative director for various agencies as well as his own. (right: Bert Monroy. Photo by Jeff Schewe)
 
Upon discovering computers with the introduction of the Macintosh 128 in 1984, he embarked on a new digital career. He embraced the computer as an artistic medium and is considered to be one of the pioneers of digital art and one of the foremost digital painters working today. The 45 astonishing, hyper-realist, digital art pieces on view represent the last twenty-five years of his career.
 
As an accomplished teacher and lecturer, Monroy has served on the faculties of several well-known institutions and is currently on the faculty of San Francisco State University.
 
Never forgetting his roots, he volunteers as a motivational speaker in inter-city, Bay Area high schools where he shares his passion for digital painting. Bert also teaches a roster of corporate clients, including Pixar, Disney Animation and Lockheed/Martin. Monroy is a member of the Photoshop World Dream Team and has been inducted into the Photoshop Hall of Fame. He has written many books and writes a monthly column for two magazines. In addition to his teaching and writing, Monroy also appears on television and radio shows. He was a regular on tech TV and now hosts Pixel Perfect with Bert Monroy, a weekly Photoshop podcast for Revision3.com.
 
His clients include: Apple, Adobe, Disney, Pioneer Electronics, Fujitsu, SONY, AT&T, Chevron and American Express. Bert has also done a considerable amount of film work for Industrial Light & Magic, Pacific Data Images and R/Greenberg Associates For more information please click on the exhibit link.

 

Special event

Sunday, January 18, 2 p.m., using software as his brush and canvas, Monroy will offer a public Photoshop demonstration in the Soda Activity Center, followed by a reception in honor of the artist.

 


(above: Bert Monroy, Damen, 2006, 40 inches by 120 inches. Photo by Jeff Schewe. Read more about Damen here)

 

(above: Bert Monroy, Oakland, 2004)


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