“Discovering the Internet and trueSpace at the same time has changed everything for me. It instantly turned an interest into a passion, due in large part to the availability of friendly help and inspiration.”      Mike Harris is a creative enthusiast.  His unique style and off the wall graphics have set him apart from the crowd. Mike says he has set out to convey imagination, wow, and wonder in his work,  “As in I wonder what the heck?” He is most pleased when his pieces elicit a smile. Mike attributes interest in art to having access to the Detroit Institute of Arts as a child.  From his roots in Detroit, Michigan Mike Harris has resided in Phoenix, Arizona for twenty years. He lives in “domestic bliss” with his very supportive wife, three children, two of which are leaving the nest soon, one dog, two cats, two birds, and two fish. The infamous dog featured on Mike’s website is Uma, a.k.a. binkydognose. Uma is short for Suzumabachi, a giant Japanese bumblebee. “Binkydognose originated as an often used term of endearment when Uma was small.” Starting out with an Amiga1000 in 1985, Binky, as he's become known to his friends, “grooved on Deluxe Paint and Sculpt 3D,” though he remembers having read about Caligari in a magazine. Then in 1997, while searching for raytracing software, Mike found trueSpaceSE at a CompUSA. He also uses Bryce, Poser, Adobe Photoshop and illustrator, Dreamweaver, and Flash to create his unique blend of fantastic images.  “I’ve been told that I’ve developed a recognizable style,” says Mike. He attributes this infamy to his tendency to “do goofy stuff for [his] own amusement while learning each new bit of software or technique.” “Once I acquired some texture and lighting chops, I was able to be happy with some of my output. I still enjoy fiddling with textures and lighting more than anything, but my modeling skills are slowly coming along for the ride.”   Mike has never been formally trained in 3D graphics programs, but the Internet has been “a fast track of learning” for him.  A prominent member of the trueSpace community, Mike lauds his peers as being an invaluable resource facilitating quick learning, informative dialog with “gurus and developers,” and best of all a place to meet friends. “3D graphics techniques  teach non-artists to look at the light, texture, and composition of the everyday world around them in artistic ways…we suddenly find ourselves fascinated by shadows, caustic transparencies, naturally dirty surfaces. My wife is thrilled when I throw a shrimp on the scanner or stop to take macro photographs of ridiculous things at inopportune times. 3D drives us to these creative extremes and that’s a very good thing!”  Though right now he is an extracurricular artist, Mike says that it is something he will be involved in for the rest of his life.  “This medium is so wonderful that I’m certain to make it my living at some point. For my personal art, I’d like to produce moving stills, small animations which don’t tell a linear story outright, but are enjoyable, attractive, and open to interpretation.” When asked about the future of 3D, Mike looks into his crystal ball and sees many things including “lots of shiny spheres.” Also he sees a period of ‘automated’ 3D content creation packages aimed at e-commerce and business-to-business developers.  The sun--a notable shining sphere, says Mike, will continue to rise in the east and set in the west. One Man Show Index Email Mike  Visit Binkydognose.com