Dustin Ernest

My work focuses on the good and bad ways in which technology affects us and the world in which we live. I chose this topic because technology is a major part of human lifestyle and has completely changed how we live, and even though something is a very important and influential part of life, everything still has good and bad sides. A lot of my project also delves into science fiction and possibilities of technological advances and setbacks in a world of ever-advancing technology.

An example of a good way that technology affects, or could later affect society is through the invention of teleportation. An example of a bad way is that technology could replace people in positions of employment and cause the need for human labor to decrease, like what is already happening with self-checkout counters in stores.

I chose the pixelated letters for the headings and binary code for the side margins to give a technological and computerized feeling to all of my works. Each work has something different written in the binary code. I chose a black background to give a sleek and simple look, and I changed the colors to match the effect of that technology, like green for good, red for bad.

I am inspired by graphic designers and artists who have a sketchy, almost abstract way of making art, while also being simple and to the point, like Saul Bass and Milton Glaser. Bass uses simple and recognizable shapes that are stylized and not completely realistic, and also prominently uses colors in his work as well. Milton Glaser also uses color prominently in his works, along with simple shapes and images to give his work a psychedelic feel.

Biography

Dustin Ernest was born on April 1, 1997 in Marion, VA. He has “studied under” his Art Teachers at Emory & Henry, like Charles Goolsby, Candace Butler, Michael Wright, and Dan Van Tassell. Ernest went to Emory & Henry College in Emory, VA,  from when he graduated high school in 2015 until he graduated in 2019 with a degree in Graphic Design. In 2015, he graduated from Marion Senior High School in Marion, VA.

Ernest uses various kinds of media for his art, such as graphic design, painting, drawing, and printmaking. His senior project in Graphic Design deals with the positive and negative effects that technology has on humans and the world that we live in. He uses painting and drawing as ways to unwind, so there is no particular theme in his paintings or drawings. He tends to be more realistic in his drawings and paintings, but his graphic design work tends to be simple.

He has been making art, particularly drawing, since he was able to walk, and his family has always enjoyed his work. His oldest sibling has had an influence on him since he was little as well, because she is an artist who mostly paints in the Bristol area.