Quick Links

• Who is behind Light and Magic?
• There are plenty of free wallpaper sites out there so why should I pay money for any of these?
• What makes your Light and Magic pictures special?
• Are you a professional artist?
• What kind of computer do you use?
• Why do you need two computers?
• And what software?
• What interested you in producing wallpapers and images for mobile phones?
• Why have you called your website Dreamscreen?
• Can you substantiate this?
• Why have you devoted a section of your gallery to angels?
• What about the fairies?

Q.: Who is behind Light and Magic?

A,: One person really, Jurgen Ziewe, passionate about computer generated Fantasy Art.. Some of the questions below might tell you a bit more about Jurgen and his work:

Q.: There are plenty of free wallpaper sites out there so why should I pay for one of these?

A.: What you are paying for is something that takes a long time to produce. This body of work took many years to mature and requires considerable investment in the tools and software that helped to produce it. It's unlikely that you would walk into a shop and take away a free greeting card, print or a painting. Equally as these images took many working hours to produce that need to be provided for as with any other job. If I didn't charge for these original artworks then nobody would be able to enjoy them.

If you consider that you pay three dollars for a cup of coffee, which gives you fifteen minutes of enjoyment, here you can pay three dollars for pictures that will probably give you a totally new kind of enjoyment that lasts many hours.

Q.: What makes your Light and Magic pictures special?

A.: When you buy a fantasy art wallpaper download for your computer screen you are buying a top quality, original digital artwork by an artist who occupies the top 5% of the 3d art field. You might ask yourself: how much would you spend for a painting for your front room? Then consider: how often do you look at that wall compared to how often you look at your computer screen? Now, which of the images do you think works out as better value for money? There may be many millions of wallpapers available for free on the vastness of the web. But consider that the vendors have to pay for the high bandwidth usage, which they do with plenty of advertising, which usually equals unwanted cookies, adware, spyware and advertising. With sites like these you still have to pay one way or another.

At Dreamscreen you get what you pay for and that is pure images for your enjoyment without any unwanted hidden extras. The tiny cost of a download pays for images, their delivery costs (hosting) as well as the hundreds of hours it took to create them and the thousands of investment in software and hardware.

Q.: Are you a professional artist?

A.: I studied Fine Art at Hamburg Academy of Art in Hamburg Germany. My teacher was a pupil of Kandinsky and for mainy years I practiced abstract art. But I have since made my living as an illustrator for the past 15 years, for the most part being commissioned by advertising agencies and publishers (take a look at my commercial work at www.3d-art.co.uk ).I have a passion for fantasy art and science fiction and in 1997 a book of my work was published as I had been producing over 50 poster selling worldwide (nostalgic visitors can purchase many of these as high quality prints online at www.lighandmagic.co.uk). I have also produced science fiction book covers for a number of well known authors.

Q.: What kind of computer do you use?

A.: T have two Apple Mac G5s with dual processors and a minimum of 2 gb of ram and lots of storage space. I also have a PC, for when I need to run a utility which is not available for the Mac.

Q.: Why do you need two computers?

A.: Power and backup. My machines are hardly ever turned of. At night they are churning away rendering.

Q.: And what software?

A.: I started off with Bryce when it first appeared and still use it because of the such juicy colours. A few years ago I switched to Vue and now use Vue 6 Infinite. Most of my modelling is done in Lightwave, but I also use Zbrush. There are many other programs I use for my commercial work.

Q.: What interested you in producing wallpapers and images for mobile phones?

A.: Creating original artwork that can be downloaded to a desktop or mobile phone gives me the opportunity to work to my own brief. In commercial work the client dictates what they want. I enjoy the freedom of letting my creativity roam, but this takes time and the best way to support my creative expression is to offer them to people to enjoy on their own computer screens or mobile handsets.

Q.: Why have you called your website Dreamscreen?

A.: Pictures can be very powerful instruments of communication. I see my pictures as a medium for stimulating deep subconscious levels, like those of dreams. If you consider that every 90 minutes the brain goes into a daydream state, you will understand the importance of exposing the mind to an environment where it can rest and even nourish itself on positive and fantastical levels. Many people are forced by their day-to-day responsibilities to direct their attention to more banal states of consciousness and override the urge to daydream. Because many of us spend much of our working lives in front of the computer screen or on our mobile phones it makes sense that we take these opportunities to inject a fantastical element into our days by accessing these "Deams.creens". Even a few seconds exposure to the fantasy world can help to stimulate creative thought, imagination and thoughts beyond the ordinary.

Q.: Can you substantiate this?

A.: Early in my career I learned a lot working in art therapy. At university we considered the effect of colour on the mind and studied how colour affected human behaviour. This experience has influenced the overall direction of my work.

Q.: Why have you devoted a section of your gallery to angels?

A.: I first became fascinated by angels when I was asked to produce some book covers by a publisher. I quickly became aware that angels are extremely powerful archetypes that draw on our collective cultural heritage stretching back thousands of years. Our associations with angels are always very positive and empowering. I soon began to notice that when working with these archetypes I felt positively charged. I found focusing on a positive image while meditating created powerful, uplifting feelings and experiences that I would like to share with my visitors.

Q.: What about the fairies?

A.: As with angels, my interest in mystical beings was triggered by another book cover commission. I never know how my images will turn out but enter into the spirit by spending a few weeks contemplating the subject and collecting pictures of fairies. Again these are powerful archetypes, but unlike the angel archetypes they appeal more to the magical and whimsical aspect of the psyche. The concept of magic is crucial in the survival of imaginative thought in an environment driven by modern technology that seems far removed from a world of light and magic.