ARTIST STATEMENT:
"As an artist, I enjoy creating environments and situations that give my photography new life. Working with Photoshop has helped me transform my imagination to a tangible reality. It's very satisfying showing my work for others to see, so they can share the experience of being in a magical place."
Jeff Madison, a freelance graphic designer, photographer and illustrator., lives in Syracuse, NY with his wife, Marcia, daughter Sophia and Great Dane, Scooby Doo. His work, is known for not only for its fantastical themes and technical difficulty, but its ability to emotionally connect with the viewer.
I’ve always have always had a strong desire to create and express myself through art.
I try to take in all of the emotions, colors, shapes and sounds that surround me in everyday life and put that into my work – whether it’s through cartoon illustration, digital photography or graphic design.
For me, art has also been therapy. I’ve overcome many challenges in my life, just by capturing them on paper or the computer screen – from growing up with Syracuse’s bipolar seasons to the death of my father to the birth of my daughter.
But it was my daughter’s birth, 4 years ago, that really led me to the arena of photography. As the many pictures of her piled up, I also began photographing friends, family, and the great outdoors. Then I’d edit the photos with Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom4 to satisfy my creative urges.
The more I photographed, the more I wanted to enhance the reality I’d captured with details from my mind. I wanted to create new locations for the models - surreal landscapes I couldn’t find in real life.
This is what I’ve wanted all my life – to put my twist on reality and express it in a way that resonates with people on some level. I consider it a blessing from God, one which I hope to use to glorify God and this wonderful world he has created. I feel so blessed to have been given this gift, and even more blessed with a family that supports me. I completed a degree in graphic design at Onondaga Community College.
