My Image

About David Alan Boyd

David Alan Boyd is a digital multimedia artist living and working in Sonoma County California. He works primarily in the media of photography, video, and audio; thematically focussed on the human relationship to the built and natural environment..

  • Artist Statement

    Art, Technology, Science
    These three interests inform my work, intellectually, semantically and formally. I was formally trained and an architect and musician which has deeply influenced my approach to thinking about the world, and about art. In the middle of my career I delved into the world of technology -fascinated by the computational and expressive power of the personal computer, and found myself working in that world –and later the emerging internet, on tools for learning and thinking. Science has been a consistent thread, and subject of intense interest, as both a way of thinking about the underlying patterns of our world, and the opportunities and challenges that we face as a human society. And Art has always been an undercurrent and a passion. For the past twelve years, I have woven these three threads together into a body of artistic work that is rich in complexity, innovative in its use of digital technology, and carefully attentive to the world around me.

    Photography, Video, Sound
    These have been my primary media of expression. A childhood love of photography and music has been foundations for my work as an artist. From an early age, I was capturing the world around me through the lens, and captivated by the joy of making and listening to music. These came together, at an early age, before personal computers, with multi-channel slide projector/cassette tape creations for friends, family, and school. While film photography, analog audio, and musical performance were a gateway, the emergence of the digital visual, audio, and MIDI/synth composition technologies provided a new freedom of creativity; it is these digital media that are my palette as an artist today. The internet opened yet another avenue for creative expression, and my earlier work with internet-based informational systems has slowly found its way into my art practice in the form of embedded information and the use of imagery from satellite mapping and online cameras.

    Humanity in Nature
    Ultimately, intellectual interests and media-craft can only provide the raw materials of art. For me, the true measure of art is how these come together in a mode of expression that reflects and sheds light on the human condition. I have an acute observational interest in humanity -and particularly the way in which we, as human animals, relate to each other and to the non-human aspects of Nature: What we see, and do not see; our complex interdependence with our environment; the human-natural environments that we construct; the ways that we see, and fail to see, our interdependence with all of humanity, and with all of the natural world.

  • Vitae

    Exhibits and Commissions

    Powers of 10, invitational group exhibit, Petaluma Arts Center, 2018
    Trans Bay Cable, San Francisco. Site-specific commission. 2017-2018
    ART Avenue Gallery, El Paso Texas. Solo show, October 2016
    The Art of the Book, 1 work – honorable mention– juried group show, Sebastopol Arts Center, 2016
    Las Cruces Museum of Art: Light Space Color Motion, duo show with the painter Carlos Estrada-Vega, Las Cruces, New Mexico, May 2016
    FoneFoto, 4 works in a juried group show, Petaluma Arts Center, 2014
    Landscape, Inaugural group show, Icehouse Gallery, Petaluma, 2014
    Red 1 work in a juried group show, Sebastopol Arts Center, 2014
    Vessels 1 work in a juried group show) Sebastopol Arts Center, 2014
    Not Just Landscapes 1 work –merit award– in a juried group show) Sebastopol Arts Center, 2013
    Reflections 1 work –best of show– in a juried group show Sebastopol Arts Center, 2013
    Digital Mixed Media 2 works in a juried group show, Petaluma Arts Center, 2012
    River and Stream 1 work in a juried group show, Healdsburg Arts Center, 2012
    FIRE/ICE 3 works in a juried group show, Petaluma Arts Center, 2011
    LAGUNITAS PROJECT solo installation, The Hub, San Francisco 2011-2012
    Beyond Digital 1 work in juried group show, Petaluma Arts Center, 2010
    Sonoma ARTrails, juried open studios and gallery show, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013
    Dry Creek Water Temple site-specific commission, Dry Creek Valley California, 2009

    Publications

    Reflection & Refraction, The Art Avenue Magazine, December 2015
    Light & Shadow, The El Paso Times, November 22, 2015
    Breath of Life, North Bay Bohemian, October 2013
    Catalog cover image, Sonoma County ARTrails Catalog, 2013
    Exploring Our Connection To The Creek, Ebb & Flow Newsletter of The Watershed Project, 2011

    Education and Qualifications

    Registered Architect, State of California
    Bachelor of Architecture, Rice University
    Bachelor of Arts, Rice University

  • Resume

    David Alan Boyd

    work experience

    My current practice as a digital multimedia artist has built on a career as an architect, marketing manager, and information technologist. This depth of experience provides me with the background necessary to work effectively on large projects, incorporate digital information technology, and lead creative teams inside of organizations.

    David Alan Boyd studio
    2009-present

    Chief Application Architect -xigi
    Social Network for Social Capital Markets
    2007-2009

    IT Consultant to COO -Triton Container
    Business Intelligence implementations
    2003-2007

    Chief Application Architect -IAS
    Led design team for global intermodal container tracking platform
    2001-2003

    Founder and CTO -Learning Resources Network
    Internet-based learning and research platform
    1997-2000

    User Interface Researcher -Apple Computer Advanced Technology Group
    1996

    Senior Manager, Director for Science and Engineering Marketing     -Apple Computer
    1993-1995

    Evangelist for Science and Engineering Third-Party Development -Apple Computer
    1991-1992

    Architect     -David Alan Boyd, Architect
    1988-1991

  • Skills & Tools

    Management skills

    • Team leadership
    • Project Management

    Production skills
    • Digital photography
    • Panorama and time-lapse photography
    • Videography
    • Licensed drone pilot
    • Audio recording
    • MIDI/synth musical composition
    • Rapid production for prototypes, storyboards, and limited production budgets

    Post-production skills
    • Photo editing
    • Video editing
    • Audio editing and mixing
    • Rapid web development/UX/prototyping

    Media production tools
    • 10bit 4k UDC video using Nikon Z6 and Atomos digital video recorder
    • 4k UDC aerial video using DJI Phantom 4 Pro drone
    • Still photography using a variety of Nikon DSLR and mirrorless cameras
    • Multi-channel audio recording using Zoom H2 and H6 digital audio recorders and Sennheiser wireless microphones
    • Rapid production using mobile phone production tools (phone camera, gimbal, H2 digital recorder)

    Digital post-production tools
    • Adobe Lightroom
    • Adobe Photoshop
    • Final Cut Pro X
    • Logic Pro
    • Apple Motion
    • Custom tools for navigable panoramas
    • Rapidweaver and Foundation for rapid web design and deployment

All images © 2009-2021 David Alan Boyd. All rights reserved.