Detail - Tree Piece : THE FOREST
© 2009 M.K. Sims

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Dye-Sublimation Print on Polyester Satin
H 100" x W 72"

Digital layout by E.Jay Sims
Printing: Big Apple Media Group, New York City

Below: Marion working with the paper mockup of the layout.

The panel is made up of 325 individual digital paintings that are displayed in a grid. The pieces for the project were created over a period of 2 years.

Marion explains, "I use a digital pen with an electronic drawing tablet which lets me work in a similar way to using a brush on paper. Then, of course, the computer can also do so many other interesting things to an image, which I still enjoy exploring. For the last couple years, on and off, I created the individual blocks, trying to vary the tree forms while retaining the basic tree characteristics."

"The next step was to print out all the pieces and do a paper mock-up so I could see how all the parts would go together. When I started working on that, I got the idea to start it with the “Big Bang” and then worked my way down to “The End” -- the destruction of all things. I had to keep track of each block, using its digital file name, and then I made this into a map. At this point my daughter, E.Jay Sims (a digital artist), took over and did the final layout of the project using Adobe InDesign. Because of its size, the final printing had to be done by a company in New York City that produces large-scale graphics for such things as billboards, banners, and signage."

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