How I Found the "Radical Touch" (in painting): Article by James P. McCabe
Updated: Jun 8, 2023
How I found the “Radical Touch”
Article by James P. McCabe
(above) The Gulf War as seen with night vision.
The Gulf War of January 1991 (1) was accompanied by an economic recession which caused many retail clients to close their doors. Unemployment was on the rise. Overnight, staff positions became “freelance opportunities”. Mine was one of them.
It was a good time to learn new skills.
In keeping with some study I had already done at the New York Institute of Technology’s Computer Graphics Lab, and an evening course in animation at the School of Visual Arts, I decided to begin learning the basics of Macintosh graphics. I was aiming to re-enter the job market as a computer graphics artist, which eventually worked.
I also wanted to try painting large photo-realist canvases, since my 4-year degree had been in Fine Arts, which I earned at Buffalo State College.
One such canvas was based on a close-up of a diamond, enlarged to 4’x5’. This was intended to look like an explosion, to reflect the explosive turmoil that had come so suddenly into so many lives.
The title I gave the painting was “The Radical Touch” (oil on canvas, 1991).
I thought this painting was successful enough to project a series that might become the basis of a thesis, which would bring some philosophical depth to bear on it; possibly to be considered for use in therapeutic meditation, inclusion with architectural designs, and so on.
Years later, as we crossed over into the 21st century, I did not have a studio to work in, but I tried to keep my computer graphics skills in practice by using what programs were available on library workstations, with the help of USB flash drives to save whatever I was doing.
My first results were posted on my websites as the DEGREES OF DIFFICULTY series, which numbered about 100 files. This series was intended to function in the same way an editorial cartoon or a gag cartoon would, without being either. Each DEGREE took the form of a PowerPoint file and was posted on the site every 7 to 10 days.
In 2012. I thought I would see if the Microsoft PowerPoint program, well known as a business presentation tool, could be used to create Fine Art by exploring the many graphics capabilities it had available.
(above) “Radical Touch (vermillion)”, painting included with a concept for architectural design.
I found a photo of an uncut emerald to use as a target; the goal being to use PowerPoint to create a photo-realistic image of a polished gem.
The project, which I posted on my website every week, ran from 12/21/2012 to 4/14/15, and this work, which I thought was just as successful as the earlier painting, I titled “Radical Touch (Emerald)”.
PowerPoint provided the use of sharp-edged forms and pure color and light to create the image, and the additional use of the animation features kept a visual record of the process exactly as I discovered it myself…
The only real limitation I encountered was the fact that PowerPoint does not have a “layers” feature, as you would find in Illustrator or Photoshop. This feature allows greater complexity of detail to be built up and locked off, without disturbing the layers above and below. The limits of how much detail could be built up in PowerPoint is what determined when the image was finished; when it wasn’t possible to do any more.
As you watch the film, look closely and you’ll see how the program seems to “co-operate” with the idea of the project when some of the forms begin to appear as if they are being applied with a paint-roller rather than a computer. And see if those last few “finishing touches” don’t glide into place with a certain expression of joy, as the image approaches completion …
Here’s a representative storyboard of the completed film.
Radical Touch (emerald). 2 min. 52 sec. 2015.
Created entirely with Microsoft PowerPoint.
In conclusion: does the film, “Radical Touch (emerald)” incorporate something of those ‘night vision’ images that came from the Gulf War )? It was not a deliberate intention, but as often happens, many things can influence a work of art, and in this case, those powerful images may well have had some resonance that I was not consciously aware of. I hope to explore such relationships by extending the “Radical Touch” series further in the future.
(1) The Gulf War was a war waged by coalition forces from 35 nations led by the United States against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait arising from oil pricing and production disputes.
James P. McCabe
has been an art director, storyboard artist and
computer graphics designer.
More of his work can be seen at
Questions, comments and requests for
information concerning ‘Radical Touch
(emerald)’ are welcome, and can be sent to:
jmcgrfx@gmail.com.
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