April 22, 2002 – Curious art enthusiasts flocked to the Florence Williams Public Library to have a look at Robert Vaughn's display of some of the computer-enhanced art he has created using photographs gathered through his travels over 50 years.
Armed with a laptop and an overhead projector, Vaughn entertained a room full of viewers with a digital slide presentation of images varying from fluorescent windmills to abstracts created from line drawings and 35 mm. transparencies.
He told the audience that he developed the technique after experimenting with various computer programs and photo-developing processes that he had mastered over the years. He noted that the digital software he uses now is quite simple and costs just $19. "It's such a simple program that I think folks should use it for weddings and other events," he said.
In his presentation on "Art in the World of Technology," Vaughn projected slides grouped in six categories: Abstract/Surrealism, line drawing, photography, photography metamorphed (or altered), fauve art and commercial art. "I've done a lot of work with Mr. Schrader," he said, referring to a display of books by local folklore writer Richard Schrader, for whom he designed several book covers. Vaughn said he enjoys dabbling in commercial art and that Schrader "is a joy to work with."
His fauve art images were striking bursts of rainbow colors resembling the imagery of film negatives. The art is free flowing with soothing emotion, "where you take liberty with art and do anything you want with it," he said.
Asked what he sees as the future of techno-art, he replied, "It's not going away. "It's a new movement." Initially, he noted, most people who tinkered with computer art were technology-trained experts such as engineers who used software to design structures or layouts. "Usually they know about computers, but not art," he said.
Vaughn, who has been working with computers since the 1950s, said he believes that young people's comfort with the computer today lures them to use it as a toy or creative tool. That usage "will grow, and they will be great artists," he said.
"I am really an exception to the rule," the 77-year-old retired librarian added. He said what he creates is not copying other artists but developing his own style, and that he believes it will flourish in years to come.
If someone wants to try getting into computer-generated art, Vaughn recommends beginning with the Adobe Photoshop software because it can be used to prepare all kinds of graphic designs. He said he rarely uses 35mm film now; preferring to work with his digital camera.
In response to a question, Vaughn said he plans eventually to donate his art and photo collection to the St. Croix Landmarks Society at the Whim Museum because he is sure his family would see no value in it. The collection of black-and-white and color photographs includes windmills, landscapes, Virgin Islands folklife scenes, pictures of Hiroshima a few days after the atomic bomb blast in 1945.and scenes from Guatemala.
The most impressive piece on display at Vaughn's presentation on Friday night was an illuminated three-piece hinged layout of the Grand Ballroom in Government House on St. Croix prior to its renovation, which was completed in 2001. He has an extensive collection of photos taken at the Crucian Christmas Fiestas from 1995 to 2001. His pictures of earlier festivals were destroyed by Hurricane Hugo.
Vaughn said he sees all of his work a art in one form or another. After a photo image is enhanced, it is no longer the image in the original negative, he said, and no matter how many times that photo is enhanced, it will never come out exactly the same. Even minute changes in climate and temperature always produce a variation in hues. "The value comes from the work you put into it," he says of computer-enhanced art.
He is the author of numerous books — seven between 1998 and 2002. These include a memoir of World War II, "A Philatelic Commemoration of Emancipation 150, 1848-1998," "Anima Ancestral," "New Ancestral Spirit: Digital Art in a 'Traditional' Art Environment" and "Virgin Islands Graphic Arts, An Index."
Vaughn holds a bachelor of arts in geography with a minor in fine arts, a master of arts in library science and a doctorate in education. He was head librarian at St. Dunstan's School, was at Good Hope School for 18 years and has been an instructor and librarian at the University of the Virgin Islands. His extensive background in library science has been an asset for cataloging his photo collection. He is the founder of the St. Croix Library Association and has been a member of the Governor's Library Advisory Council under three administrations.
As a tribute to his artistic skills, he was commissioned by the U.S. Postal Service to create three works of art for the territory's 150th anniversary emancipation celebration in 1998.
Vaughn's love of photography began at the age of 5 and has never stopped. He has archived his work on 470 compact disks, each holding more than a hundred high-resolution images. Most days, he can be found displaying his art and experimenting with new techniques in techno-photography in his studio at 31 Queen Street in Christiansted.
Publisher's note : Like the St. Croix Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
