ArTech

Having been born into a working class union family, Dorean grew up with some very unique options. Growing up in one of the less friendly neighborhoods surrounding St Louis, he spent much of his time studying various things from art and literature to science and mathmatics. His father having been very involved in the union, and his mother being a strong and outspoken woman, both taught Dorean to think for himself and to understand the world around him. They encouraged him to understand politics, teaching him that it’s not only his right to vote, but his duty as an American. They also saw the changes coming in the world of technology and made sure to do what they could to make sure he had the chance to learn about computers and technology, always having a computer in their house, and encouraging him to enroll in secondary classes. By Dorean’s teens, he had even studied privately under one of the Skilled Trades workers at the auto-plant where his father worked, learning about computer components, how they worked, and how to build computers.

Dorean has been a working photographer since the summer of 2001, practicing since 2000. Having majored in Computer Science and Technology at the local collage after his father passed away, he quickly discovered that was not what suited him most. Having taken photography as a fine arts credit, he changed direction and and directed his focus towards photography and design. Studying all he could in the limited photography department until he had exhausted both his finances and the school resources, leaving him to pursue his studies on his own.

Out of college he worked as a digital artist and secondary photographer for a prominent portrait & wedding photography studio in his home town, but being rather disinterested in the bland monotony that kind of photography provides, he continued his studies on his own time, and worked to build a reputation for himself which has been growing since.

Dorean has always been fascinated with artists such as Jerry Uelsmann, and their surrealistic photographic manipulations, the powerful imagery of Edward Weston and Ansel Adams, the sensuality & eroticism of photographers such as Helmut Newton and Peter Hegre, and the moving photos of photo journalists such as Nick Ut (Vietnam) and Joe Rosenthal(WWII). But also with the fantasy and passion of painters and illustrators such as Louis Royo, Boris Vallejo, Michael Hussar, H. R. Gieger, and others. He appreciates the classics like Edward Munch, to many of the underground artists of today such as Adam Deville. This broad appreciation for the arts transcends to his taste for everything in music, literature, theater, culture, and life in general.

Outwardly melancholy, an eclectic and often contradictory mix of excitement, hope, and optimism with cynicism, macabre, and disdain, Dorean grew to want to make play of his fantasy and turn from reality. A Romanticist by nature, he views things in a very unique way and is often disappointed in the lack of passion in the world with a growing contempt for the social acceptance of “this is how things are” – a very complacent attitude that shirks one’s responsibility to make the world around them better. “People love Romanticism and the ideas it brings that you can make a change and you can attain your goals. That’s why epic movies such as Troy or Braveheart, and comic book movies are always so popular,” he often preaches – but he feels that people have grown to accustomed and to comfortable, to secure, and afraid to go against the expectations of society. He sees most people as simply being to afraid of loosing what they have and falling on their face, so instead they settle for second best all their lives simply because they were never inspired to take that risk.

A student of Philosophy, and very opinionated, Dorean decided he wanted to hone his skills to help him show the world as he sees it. To find the beauty in the darkness, to inspire, to make people feel.

“Art isn’t always pretty. It’s not always about being a pretty picture that’s pleasing to look at. Sure that has it’s place, but a real artist works to show you or tell you something. I don’t care if you hate some of my work, or find it repulsive. And if you love it, great! But before my time is done, I want to have created a body of work that is significant, something that when you look at it it makes you think, makes you want to make a change, or makes you proud. If I can’t do that then I’ve failed as an artist.“