Brad Polzin

Artist Statement

While I'm fascinated by just about everything, I’ve always had a special love for art and making art. When I was an undergraduate at UC Berkeley I made a decision to pursue art more seriously and also to expand my knowledge of the world. After doing some research I applied to and was accepted at the French National School of Fine Arts in Provence, where I studied for a year before studying cinema for another year at the University of Provence.

Upon returning to the US, I studied graphic arts, during which time I fell in love with photography, and began combining photographic and graphic techniques while also working as a graphic artist, printer and jack of all trades at various magazines and newspapers. After earning a pair of teaching credentials I became a full time photography instructor with VROP as well as working as an adjunct art & photography instructor with the State Center Community Colleges for over 20 years.

Never having previously had much of an interest in computers, I found myself entranced when several key inventions made digital graphics, and then digital photography accessible. Seeing the incredible potential and control that was offered by the new mediums, I was an immediate and an enthusiastic convert. I began learning and incorporating the new technology into my work and curriculums as well. This was before Photoshop existed.

My inspirations are quite varied and often abstract, and include such things as intellectual concepts, issues, nature, color, light, shapes, music, and feelings. I've loved art history ever since I was a little kid entranced by the images in art history books, so I draw inspiration from just about every period and kind of art. I find traveling and learning new things very inspiring. So far I’ve traveled to 28 different countries, including a trip to Egypt as a Fulbright Seminar scholar. And I look forward to making future trips and adding to my knowledge of the world.

In describing my personal artistic vision I find that I’ve been more and more interested in creating images that evolve from my artistic vision and less and less with making artistic photographs that essentially depict something that can be found already in existence. Even though I find photographs beautiful and I am constantly photographing, I now view photographs as starting points or as raw source material (sometimes just a shape, an element, a color or a texture) to be combined with other elements to create a personal vision.

My style, while having a basis in photography, is often times more akin to painting or printmaking. Digital imaging gives you the power to create any image you can imagine. So in this way it’s very much like painting, where you have tremendous latitude to control and manipulate the medium. Being able to fit all your paints, textures, photos and canvases inside the compact compartment of a laptop computer, then take off and go anywhere in the world and still be able to create and share your art anywhere around the world; it’s all very empowering and exciting.

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Artist gallery: Brad Polzin Flickr Set