Although computers feature in almost every aspect of modern life there are still certain areas, like the world of art and culture, that they’ve yet to conquer. But that could all be about to change following the launch of digital art.

Gideon Fraser, a computer software developer, poses the question Can Computers Imagine? He says he hopes to show computers in ‘a dazzling new light’ with his display of 30 or so pieces of abstract art all created by computer technology. The images are bold and bright with vivid colour, texture and movement.

“It was my wife who first asked whether computers can generate art.

“You can use computers to create something via an application process like Photoshop, but we didn’t want to amend anything or use existing software – we wanted to see if the computer could create something that you might like to hang on your wall,” he explains.

“People have experimented to discover if computers can create music, so we decided to discover if they can create art. We thought it would be an interesting challenge.” After working in the corporate world for nearly four decades Gideon, who lives in Penn Hill, Poole, has had to adapt to make the transition into the art world.

“I can just about tell one end of a paintbrush from the other,” he laughs. “But I’ve always been surrounded by art. My grandparents and my uncle are crazy about art and my mother was a very good portrait artist.

“I’ve always been interested in the subject and have collected artwork, but to get a computer to generate abstract art was like venturing into an unknown world.” And he says it has taken several years to get the process to work.

“You start with a blank canvas on the computer screen and you throw points on it – it’s rather like scattering corn on the ground – it falls where it falls and then you tell the computer to join them up and depending on the sequence at which they are joined, you get different shapes.

“It took a while at first, but after a couple of weeks the computers started creating shapes – nothing that you would want to hang on your wall – but every now and again it would create something that looks quite interesting – it will have movement, balance, something that registers with you as an onlooker and we then take that shape and start to texture it and colour it.

“It’s rather like diving for pearls, sooner or later one comes up that you like the look of. Sometimes the shapes resemble reptiles or birds, there’s one on display that looks like a lobster, which is just a coincidence, as technically it is abstract art.

“Some pictures take longer than others to create, but the problem with digital art is that it’s never finished, because you can always do it again and keep changing the shape and colour.”

Following positive reactions from friends and local art galleries Gideon recently held his first exhibition at Lighthouse, Poole.

He adds: “I know it may not appeal to some people as the concept is very unusual – but I’m happy to take comments and criticisms.”

Gideon’s pictures range in price from £120 to £800 and are available in stainless steel, acrylic, and birch wood frames all supplied by local companies such as Displays UK in Christchurch.