Helen Smith was a teacher, artist, and decorator who set up her studio in the former summer kitchen of an 1820s farmhouse just outside of Frederick, Maryland, in 1940. She died there in 1997 at age 103. The house changed hands many times and was under threat of demolition in 2018 when a group of her admirers banded together to raise the money necessary to move the studio to another location and restore it. I documented the structure with ground level photographs, re-constructed it, and posted it on SketchFab. The studio found a permanent home at the Lucy School, an arts-based school and teacher training center near Middletown, Maryland. http://lucyschool.com/
"Drawing is a universal language."
3D Visualization
My principal modeling software is Cinema 4D. I’ve been working with it for 6 years and have a journeyman’s level of expertise. I’m most comfortable working with objects, but figure modeling and animation is becoming more accessible with every new upgrade.
Architectural Reconstructions
A recent interest I am developing is the construction of historical buildings using ground-level photography as reference.
- Helen Smith Studio
- Buckeystown Church
- 1903 Lewis Anthony Building at Storer College
Helen Smith Studio
Buckeystown Church
Built in 1824, all that’s left of this landmark are a few grainy photographs where it appears in the background. Using town records for the dimensions, the church was reconstructed and repositioned on the original site. The work was spearheaded by Nancy Bodmer, the Buckeystown resident historian.
1903 Lewis Anthony Building at Storer College
Originally built as an industrial arts classroom, this structure was converted into a library in 1929 when the academic focus shifted more towards liberal arts.
It now stands on the grounds of the U.S. Park Service Center for Interpretive Media in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. https://www.nps.gov/subjects/hfc/index.htm
3D Printing
I worked with Direct Dimensions in Owings Mills, Maryland, to capture the clay original of The Struggler and convert it into a 3D model that was subsequently processed into a successful print.
Photogrammetry
The Eye Doctor is a commemorative work that was captured using PolyCam software and an iPhone.
Illustration
Most of my work has been in humorous illustration and caricatures, though I also produced some photorealistic pieces as personal projects. Recently I have developed a digital process in which I combine 3D imagery with traditional techniques to generate complex illustrations of high accuracy.
Realism
Caricature
Humorous storytelling
Medical Illustration
Video Production
FITCI Overview
New Arts Foundry (How It Works)
FITCI a Business Incubator/Accelerator. Our mission is to encourage technological innovation and accelerate the development of commercially viable businesses in Frederick.
Foundry owner Gary Siegle explains the lost wax process of bronze casting by following a single sculpture by artist Paul Rhymer through every stage, start to finish.
Works In Progress
I am experimenting with a range of technologies and formats partly out of curiosity, and partly to stay current with changing mediums. These are some of the projects in development that may turn into something useful to an adventurous customer.