SerpentVenom

About SerpentVenom

SerpentVenom is my personal not-for-profit web site that I have been running since 2001. The site features my blog, design portfolio and personal art gallery.

Origins

At the time SerpentVenom was created, I was working for a rapidly fading dotcom. I needed a domain that would allow me to show off my skills to potential employers. Of course the one I wanted was taken which was bad enough except that the site occupying my desired domain sucked. Don't you hate it when good domains go bad? Anyway, I needed to come up with a new domain.

Fortunately fate played a hand. 2001 was the year of the snake which coincidently, is my year. This led me to use something snake related. Also, my initial idea was that I would use the domain to host my online portfolio, and also be my own personal soap box to comment on current events, politics and whatever else piqued my interest. Since much of my political commentary tends to be acerbic, sarcastic or even derisive, describing my commentary as venomous seemed appropriate. Thus, SerpentVenom was born.

About MD Wong

As for me, I'm Michael D. Wong. I go by "MD Wong" online because "mdwong" has been my username since the first time I cruised the internet. I'm a Web Designer/Developer by trade but an artist at heart.

Art

I studied Conceptual/Information Arts (CIA), an experimental program within the Art Department at San Francisco State University (SFSU). CIA focuses on preparing artists and media experimenters to work at the cutting edge of technology. The study of contemporary digital production skills is accompanied by the analysis of the cultural context of technology, as well as experimentation with newly emerging technologies.

I use computers to create art both for the web and for print. Personal computers and the emergence of the internet have given artists like me an opportunity to create art that is not dependent upon grants, galleries or patrons. This means we have an autonomy that some working artists do not always enjoy. This autonomy makes communicating my message easier.

My Message

I believe that art is a vehicle for raising awareness. As special interests and corporate money hold sway over our elected officials, most of us are only concerned about the next pop idol or TV survivor. What I want people to realize is that their apathy toward what goes on in our government is setting up a situation that will eventually be out of our control. I want to show people what they are missing and give them a reason to care.

Ad Art

Sometimes print advertisements, especially billboards, will capture my attention in ways the advertisers did not intend. When this happens, my response is to take the intended message and alter it to reflect my response to the original message. My Ad Art posters are the result of this exploration and alteration of messages.

Photography

I began creating photographic imagery over 15 years ago. I mainly work in color with occasional forays into Black and White. I started out with a 35mm Nikon FM2 but I have recently embraced digital photography because of the immediacy and affordability that digital technology offers. Whether film or digital, all of my images are created in camera. Their compositions have not been digitally altered.

My photography reflects my desire to capture what I see. I begin with ideas like the view through a window, the unusual angles and scenes of urban life, the beauty of nature, photographic experimentation. The results range from straightforward to the abstract.