Artist = Stompbox

An artist of any taste will impose his or her own style on a picture they make. You take 10 artists and have 'em all paint the same scene, and there'll be differences in the pictures they make.

In addition to making pictures, I'm also an (increasingly lapsed) guitar player, primarily of electric guitar. From the very first electric and amp I owned, I've been as much a fan of the stompbox, or effect pedal, as the guitar itself. To the uninitiated, these are the little metal boxes on the floor in front of the guitar player on stage than he or she steps on right before the big noisy part of the song, or maybe a solo. To me, sound design and effects have always been as interesting as the musical notes, melody, harmony, etc. I spent a whole afternoon in college making whale noises in the basement. No musical content whatsoever, but I had a great time.


Boss DS-1 and El Rey, Teen Spirit, 2002, Collection of Andrew McDonald

I think artists are kind of like stompboxes. They take a source, process it, and it comes out dfferently.

You could also, I suppose, look at the artist's eyes and hands as a remarkably elaborate Photoshop filter.